Mongolian Blues
by dietcokechic
Summary: The untold story of what really happened after Sam was kidnapped during an early missing with SG-1. Missing scene to episode 103 - Emancipation. UNFINISHED (although I do hope to return to it after Hypothetical)
1. Chapter 1

**Mongolian Blues**

Related Episode: 103 - Emancipation

Category: Thought I better amend this to include Angst along side of the Hurt/Comfort categorization. Major Sam-whummping ahead.

Rating: I think 'T' will cover it, but some of the descriptive scenes might merit an 'M'. I'll warn ya before it gets too graphic.

Author's Notes - After watching Emancipation (an episode that truly is not good _at all )_ , I realized that this ep was probably the first time an SG-1 member got hurt. Not that we saw it mind you, but come on! We see a whip one moment and then...morning. Yeah, right. Anyhow, I started looking around for stories that filled in the blanks. There are a couple good ones out there, but most of them take place after Sam was back at the SGC. But what if they didn't make it back before Sam's injury started giving her grief? How would she react? How would her new teammates? I am a major sucker for a good hurt/comfort story, and just couldn't get this one out of my head. I wrote it for me, but seeing as there's this whole community out there, I thought I'd post and see what you guys think! g

* * *

Captain Samantha Carter was slowly falling more and more behind. She hurt. A lot. And she needed to let her CO know soon before it got to be a problem. Sam silently scoffed at herself _. Before_ would have been shortly after they had left Turghan's village, and not two hours later still several hours from the Stargate. Of course her back hadn't really been bothering her earlier. After the guys had bought her back from that barbaric asshole, she had changed back into her SGC clothing without too much fuss. Sure, it had hurt some, but nothing, _nothing_ like it did now. Even this morning it hadn't been so bad. Yeah, it hadn't been her most comfortable night, but as long as she slept on her front... Sam sighed. She should have told the Colonel last night. It was easy to blame it on the fact that she had first watch and he last, but that was just an excuse, and a damn poor one at that. She should have said something at first light. But then Abu came back and told them about Nya... well, there was no way in hell she was going to let that bastard stone his daughter to death. Sam was itching for a fight and was thrilled when Colonel O'Neill allowed her challenge. Of course, he hadn't known it was supposed to be a fight to the death... but it had all worked out and she had totally kicked Turghan's ass. Damn if that hadn't felt good. Beating him that is. Her back? Not so much.

The adrenaline of the fight, along with the lingering effects of the local medicine the women had applied to her back after the beating had truly numbed most of the pain. That was until Sam had put on her backpack for the trek back to the gate. Thankfully, none of the guys had noticed the hiss of pain that had escaped her lips as the weight of the pack settled on her shoulders and against her back. No one saw her pale determination as they began to move out. Sam was thankful she was bringing up the rear.

Her plan was to finish this god-damned mission, head home through the 'Gate and then brief Colonel O'Neill on exactly what had transpired while she had been taken prisoner. It was never her intention to hide a serious injury from a senior officer. Sam just hadn't realized she _had_ a serious injury. Until now. She knew her back was in rough shape. Every step was agonizing, and she could feel a warm stickiness in the space between her pack and her waistband. It was time to tell the Colonel. She just didn't know how.

* * *

"Do you think one of us should go talk to Doctor Carter?" Daniel Jackson asked, glancing back at their teammate. "I'm worried about her."

"I concur DanielJackson," Teal'c said solemnly. "Captain Carter has not been herself since we took leave of the Shavadai."

Jack frowned. Truth be told, he also was a bit worried about her. He hadn't worked long with the young Captain, and although she wasn't the chatterbox that Daniel was, she did usually participate in idle conversation. After her fight with Turghan, Carter had become quiet. Too quiet. Jack didn't think Turghan got any serious licks in, but maybe he had and they just weren't aware of it?

"I'm sure she's just thinking about how much she wants to leave this planet," Jack surmised. "This hasn't exactly been the best mission for a woman, don't you think?" Daniel nodded and Teal'c tilted his head in agreement. "Still," Jack said slowing down, "why don't I just go keep her company for a while." He encouraged Daniel and Teal'c to keep walking and turned around to wait for Captain Carter. As he watched her approach, he was aware that she wasn't actually looking at him. Her eyes were scanning right and left, but not straight ahead. Her movements were methodical, almost as if she was willing herself to put one foot in front of the other. She was also walking far slower than usual. Jack's frown deepened. Something was definitely wrong.

"Earth to Carter..." Sam jerked her head up and stared into the concerned brown eyes of her CO. "You almost ran into me, Captain," Jack joked good naturedly as Sam stopped short just a few inches from O'Neill.

"Sorry, sir," Sam said contritely. "I didn't see you." Sam looked around, gripping her weapon firmly, instantly on alert. "Is everything okay?"

"You tell me, Captain," Jack said as he critically examined the woman in front of him. Sam's face seemed pale and her expression pinched. It took him a moment to figure it out, as he hadn't seen that particular look on Carter's face before. Unfortunately, he had seen it on others, including himself. This was a woman in pain. Jack held up a hand to indicate she should stop. He then turned and yelled back to Daniel and Teal'c.

"Guys, let's take a 15 minute break! Daniel, see if you and Teal'c can't find a good water source to refill our canteens." Daniel wanted to ask what's up, but the look on Jack's face instantly told him he should shut up. He might not know what's going on, but after half a dozen missions with Jack (with several of them being rather significant), he understood 'Jack-Stance' pretty well. Whatever was going on with Dr. Carter, Jack needed some time to work it out.

"Sure, Jack," Daniel called. "We'll be back in a few minutes." Teal'c nodded to O'Neill as he followed Daniel through the forest.

Sam frowned. Why'd the Colonel call for a break?

"Sam?" Jack asked quietly, "can I help you take your pack off so we can rest for a few minutes?" He pointed a few feet away towards a fallen log. "I don't know about you, Captain, but my knees wouldn't mind a bit of a break."

"Break?" Sam repeated.

"You know," Jack quipped, "a break, a short rest...a respite if you will." Jack took off his own pack and rested it against the log.

"A break sounds great, sir." Sam hadn't moved. She knew she needed to get that pack off, but she wasn't entirely sure how to do it that wouldn't cause her more pain. The thought of putting it back on terrified her. The throbbing in her back was getting worse, and even the smallest of movements now caused ripples of acute discomfort. Sam nearly laughed out loud at how absurd that sounded. Even her subconscious was trying to downplay the pain.

"Captain," Jack repeated gently, as he took another step towards Sam. He could see that she was barely holding it together. "Can you undo your hip belt so I can help you take your pack off?"

"What?" Sam refocused her eyes on the Colonel's. "Oh, my hip belt. Yes, of course." Jack absently noticed that she hadn't said, 'sir' at the end of that sentence, but the thought was quickly replaced by the realization that her hands were shaking. Not much, but enough to make him even more concerned. He watched as Sam held one side of the belt with one hand and tried to release the belt clip with the other. Nothing happened. She couldn't seem to apply enough pressure.

"Dammit!" Sam muttered sharply as tears stung her eyes. Why weren't her fingers working right?

Jack took the remaining step forward so he was directly in front of his 21C. "Let me help," he said gently replacing her shaking hands with his own and releasing the belt. A strangled cry erupted from Sam's throat as the full weight of the pack settled on her shoulders and back. Her knees buckled and it was all Jack could do to keep her upright as he pulled the pack off of her. Not knowing where the pain was coming from, Jack had no idea that sliding a heavy pack across her shoulders and back was probably the worst thing he could do. Sam screamed as her arms jerked backwards with the pack, pulling muscles and tearing tender skin underneath her shirt.

* * *

A/N - It's been a while *cough* 8 years. Let me know if this is working for you! For the record, Daniel was still calling Sam "Dr. Carter" in those early eps, and Jack actually went back and forth between 'Sam' and 'Carter'. It was kinda cool to see. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Immediately, Jack could hear the frantic footfalls of his team as they ran back to him. Teal'c had his staff weapon already primed for battle as they emerged from the deeper forest.

Thinking fast, Jack knew that last thing Carter needed was for all three of her teammates to crowd around her. He glanced down at his Captain and saw that she was unfocused, but conscious, breathing in small, uneven breaths as she attempted to gain control of her pain. Jack wanted to give her the space to do so. He looked up into the worried eyes of his male teammates.

"Captain Carter seems to have had a bit of a problem with her pack," he explained to Daniel and Teal'c, attempting to downplay Sam's reaction. "I'm going to check both it and _her_ out,and then we'll figure out what our next steps are." Jack could see how desperately Daniel wanted to say something. He looked his friend in the eye and gave his head a slight shake. Daniel got the message and quietly walked several feet away with Teal'c, eyes still glued on his obviously shaken teammate. Teal'c in turn continued to scan the trees and horizon. He would keep everyone safe until Captain Carter was well enough to move.

"I'm sorry, " Sam whispered as she attempted to swipe at her tearful eyes. Unfortunately, due to her rapidly stiffening back, the full movement wasn't possible. Sam only got halfway to her eyes before she let out a strangled moan and allowed her hands to drop back to her lap.

"Dammit!" She hissed angrily through clenched teeth as he eyes continued to leak unwanted tears.

"Carter, breathe." Jack ordered, as he took a couple steps backwards and carefully lowered both of them onto the fallen log. He was nearly as angry as Sam, but didn't think now was the appropriate time to yell at her for not telling him she was injured. And hell, this had to be one doozy of an injury for her to react this way.

"Where, Captain?" Jack asked succinctly, looking at Sam with a critical eye.

"My back," Sam admitted. In a rush, she explained how she had attempted to escape Turghan and how that prick of a chieftain was going to beat an innocent woman, _his wife,_ as punishment for Sam's escape. Of course she couldn't let that happen.

"Of course you couldn't," Jack said quietly, urging her to continue.

"I baited him into beating me, sir. So he wouldn't hurt her." Sam balled her hands into fists to keep them from shaking. She had hated feeling so defenseless.

"With what?" Jack probed softly. He needed to know what to expect.

"A leather whip of some sort," Sam whispered.

"How many times?" Jack asked feeling sick to his stomach.

"Until I cried out," Sam replied.

"How many times, Captain?" Jack asked again. He needed to know.

"Seven," Sam replied. "He lashed me seven times before I screamed at him to stop." Sam dropped her head with that admission, unable to look at her Commanding Officer. Her shoulders shook slightly as she struggled not to cry.

Jack awkwardly reached into one of the pockets in his vest and pulled out a mostly clean handkerchief. It was actually a backup for Daniel, but Carter didn't need to know that. He gently dabbed her eyes as she couldn't do so herself and then lifted her face towards his own.

"Is there anything else?" he asked softly. Sam was quiet.

"Captain Carter, did Turghan do anything else to you?" Jack asked in his most hard-ass commanding voice. He held his breath as he waited for her answer.

"No, sir." Sam replied. "I mean, not really."

"Not _really?"_ he repeated, eyebrows shooting up in question.

"I wasn't raped, sir." Sam said looking her CO in the eye. She knew that was his primary concern. "If you hadn't arrived when you did, I think that was a definite possibility, but it never happened."

"Where's the _not really_ part come in?" Jack asked.

"He threatened me with a knife." Jack could tell that wasn't all.

"And..?"

"And he kissed me," Sam said in rush. A disgusting, reeking kiss full of hatred and possession.

Jack's stomach turned at the admission, but he knew it could have been so much worse. Idly he wondered if Carter had a boyfriend. A boyfriend could replace that wretched kiss with one of love and compassion.

They sat in silence for a few more moments before Jack spoke again.

"You knew I was in the Gulf war, right?" Sam nodded. "I was captured and all sorts of unholy shit was done to me." He scrubbed his face with one hand as he remembered the horrors. "There was some fairly perverse crap, but they were particularly fond of whippings." Sam looked at him, large blue eyes glistening. She hadn't known.

"And those beatings hurt, Sam," Jack said honestly. "A hell of a lot" They stared at one another for several long moments before Sam broke away.

"You need to see it now, sir, don't you?" Sam asked in a resigned voice. Jack nodded.

"I don't suppose I could convince you to just wait until we're back at the SGC?" Sam asked hopefully.

"Considering, _Captain_ , that you scared away half the wildlife with that scream of yours, I'm thinking it's serious enough to take a look at now." Sam hung her head in defeat.

"What I want to know is how the hell you could have ridden a horse, changed your clothes, _slept,_ stood watch and then turn around and fight the asshole that beat you with your back in that condition!" Jack had refrained from sounding angry up until now, but a Commanding Officer could only take so much. Sam hadn't so much as grimaced the entire time! She should have said something. Immediately, dammit!

"It's that medicine of theirs, sir," Sam said. "After the b..beatings, the women took me into their tent and administered that antiseptic stuff of theirs. It really helped." Jack nodded for her to continue. "The next morning, they realized I couldn't wear that ridiculous blue dress anymore, so..."

"Why?" asked Jack. Sam looked acutely uncomfortable.

"Carter, explain." Jack ordered. In a rush, Sam continued, kicking herself for saying anything at all about that goddamned dress.

"Turghan had me kneel in front of him, sir," Sam explained. "He then..." Sam bit her lip in memory, determined not to cry. "He then ripped the back of the dress completely off and... administered the punishment. The dress was in shreds with... dried blood." Sam frowned in distaste at the memory. "They gave me something different in the morning."

Jack was furious. A member of his team had been subjugated and tortured and he hadn't been there to stop it. He hadn't even _known_. Part of him was thankful they were so far from Turghan's camp now, otherwise he might have marched right back there and put a bullet between the bastard's eyes.

"It's okay, Carter," Jack said reigning in his anger and squeezing his Captain's hands. "We'll clean up the worst of it and get you back to the SGC. " In a lighter tone he continued, "I hear we have a new CMO now," he paused as if considering what to say next and leaned in to whisper into Sam's ear. "She's a girl."

"Woman, sir," Sam said automatically. "Dr. Janet Frasier is a woman."

"I dunno, Carter," Jack continued. "I read her bio and she is pretty tiny." He held up his thumb and index finger to indicate just how small. "I think she might be a munchkin." A small giggle escaped her throat, causing Sam to tense up in pain.

"No giggling, Captain." Jack said grimacing. So much for making her feel better. "I need to get some things, but I'll come back and take care of your back, ok?" He patted her gently on the hand and stood up, knees creaking. Sam nodded, suddenly very tired. This mission was definitely worse than the one where she accidentally got inebriated and took off her... Sam closed her eyes in memory. Yeah, this was definitely worse. Acute embarrassment doesn't actually _hurt._

* * *

A/N - It's nice hearing from you guys! I wasn't going to post this until tomorrow, but as I'm feeling all shiny happy at the moment, I'll do one more. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow. Thank you so much for all your reviews and welcome backs. MADE. MY. DAY. I seriously was planning on having this story be a one-off (mostly due to necessity, being a single working mom and all that), but boy is it a rush to get all those little "You have Reviews" alerts. Makes me very, very happy that I finally remembered my password to get into FF. Unlike my personal website. No idea how to access that puppy. Lost ISP info _and_ updating software. Oops.**

 **Right. So just one chapter today, but it's nearly the length of the first two put together. Lots of major hurt/comfort in this one, and while there is _no_ true shippiness in this at all, I did have a little fun giving Jack something to think about. Please let me know if you think it's too much. I want to keep this story as cannon as possible. **

**dietcokechic**

* * *

Jack jogged back to where Daniel and Teal'c were waiting. Daniel could barely contain his concern.

"Jack, what is going on with Doctor Carter?!" Not only had Daniel heard the scream, but he could see by how she was holding herself that something was seriously wrong.

Jack scrubbed a hand across his face and succinctly explained the situation. "Sam was beaten while she was with Turghan." Daniel's face immediately paled.

"What form of punishment was she given, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

"Whipped." Daniel could feel bile in the back of his throat. Teal'c look like he might kill someone. Jack knew exactly how he felt.

"But.. but... she seemed so fine when we took her away from the camp!" Daniel insisted. "She was joking, and she changed and she.. Jack! Sam kicked Turghan's ass in that fight. She can't be hurt all that bad, right?" Jack shrugged. Seven lashes from a misogynist son of a bitch who really didn't like you? Jack was certain it wouldn't be pretty at all.

"Apparently the women gave Carter some of that miracle drug. It worked for a while but began to wear off after she got her pack on. " Jack finished collecting a variety of things from his pack and began to rummage through Daniel's.

"What are you looking for, Jack?"

"A shirt," Jack replied absently. "After Carter, you're the smallest guy on the team, and Carter will probably need something new. She's wearing her spare right now." Daniel had that sick feeling again. Jack found a shirt and then grabbed one of Daniel's extra bandanas. "I'm taking this too."

"How can we help, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked. Jack sat back on his heels and thought for a moment. If they were closer to the gate, he might consider sending one or both of them back to the Stargate. They could radio the SGC and let Hammond know what's going on. But by his reckoning, they were still at least 10 clicks out. It was better if they stick together. Carter should be mobile, although she sure as hell wouldn't be carrying anything more. They'd be late, but together.

"Heat up some water," Jack offered. "I'm hoping I won't need it, but if Carter's back is as bad as I fear, the warm water might help loosen the clothing. At the very least, we can use the water to make her something warm to drink." Daniel looked confused.

"Shock, Daniel," Jack explained. "Carter is putting up a damn brave front, but she's hurt and definitely not feeling like herself right now. Warm drinks can help." Of course, a shot of whiskey, or better yet, morphine also helped, but they didn't have any of that. He made a mental note to ask the new Doc if they could carry some stronger drugs with them in their first aid kits.

Jack stood up, hands full of first aid kit, spare shirt and a clean pack towel (he hadn't bathed while on the planet). He started back to Carter before stopping and snapping his fingers.

"You guys can also start splitting up Carter's pack, putting as much as you can in ours instead. I don't want Carter to have to carry anything more than her weapon home." Daniel and Teal'c nodded as Jack headed back towards Sam.

* * *

Jack returned to find Sam lightly dozing on the log, her back nearly straight, but her chin resting against her collarbone. Her face looked almost relaxed.

"Carter." Sam knew that voice, but found the allure of sleep to be stronger.

"I'll see you in the morning, sir," Sam replied sleepily. Sleeping was far more desirable than contemplating how much she screwed up on this mission.

Jack couldn't help a small smile that curled the corners of his lips. Carter was kinda cute when she slept.

"Captain Carter," Jack repeated a bit more authoritatively, lightly tapping her cheek. As much as he would have liked to give her a bit of rest, they needed to take care of her back first. Jack didn't really think any of Turghan's people would attack, but the sooner they were off this world, the better he'd feel.

Sam's eyes flew open and she immediately became aware of her surroundings. Unfortunately, with awareness came pain. Her back really, really hurt. She looked at Colonel O'Neill expectantly. She was pretty sure she wasn't going to like what came next.

"Are you absolutely certain I can't convince you to just let me walk back to the SGC?" Sam asked hopefully, looking into her Commanding Officer's eyes. Jack shook his head. He had some experience with pleading blue eyes, first with Sara, and later Daniel. Sam's were particularly doe-ful at the moment. Jack sighed, suddenly extremely glad that Carter was both military _and_ his subordinate. He definitely would have problems handing those eyes in a social setting.

"I'd be a pretty lousy CO if I didn't at least check out your injury," Jack replied.

Sam watched as Colonel O'Neill laid out various supplies. He handed her three extra strength Tylenol, two muscle relaxers and a canteen. "Sorry I don't have anything stronger," he said apologetically. Sam nodded and carefully bent her head down as she lifted her right hand awkwardly half way up and sucked up the pills. She looked at the canteen with disdain, not even attempting to pick it up. She felt too miserable to feel embarrassed.

"I don't suppose you have a straw, sir?"

"Sorry, Carter, I forgot." Jack lifted the water to her lips. Sam gave him a small smile of thanks and drank deeply.

"Go easy on the water, Captain," Jack advised, as he took the canteen away and kneeled beside her. "Pain does some crazy stuff to a body, and I don't that water to make a return visit." Sam's eyes widened as she contemplated how much more it would hurt if she threw up.

Jack looked at her expectantly, waiting for her permission to begin.

"I'm ready, sir," Sam said, putting on her brave face. "But if you don't mind, could you talk to me while it's going on?" Seeing the confused look on the Colonel's face, she continued, "I mean, tell me what you're going to do, " Sam explained, feeling embarrassed. "I think it'll help."

Jack gave his Captain a small smile. Of course it would help. She was a scientist after all, and like Daniel, knowledge made her stronger.

Sam of course knew that she needed to get her clothes off so the Colonel could inspect her back. Her *upper* clothes that is. She was too uncomfortable (that word again!) to really be too concerned about the fact that she'd be effectively without _any_ top while he worked on her back. Sam supposed she'd just hold something against her chest while the Colonel was cleaning her back, and then (after the Colonel closed his eyes or something) she'd put on a shirt and walk home. No big deal. Her teammates were all grown men who actually had been around women before. Unlike that Abu kid who looked at her with reverent awe. Man, that was just weird.

Sam was shaken out of her thoughts as Jack cleared his throat.

"Ok, Carter!" Jack began, with a forced enthusiasm he didn't feel. "Let's get this show on the road." He reached up and began pulling down the zipper that held her field vest together.

"First, we need to remove your vest and then comes the jacket. Hopefully, both will come off fairly easily." Jack removed the vest without incident. The military field vest was loaded with ammo and other supplies, so there was a heft to it. It also was made of a thicker material than her jacket and t-shirt. Jack hadn't expected any problems removing it and he was right. Sam only let out a low grunt as Jack gently maneuvered her arms out of the vest.

"See?" Jack said with a small smile. "Easy peasy."

"Piece of cake, sir," Sam replied.

"You a cake person, Carter?" Jack asked as set the vest aside.

"I like cake," Sam replied automatically, mentally preparing herself for the removal of the next article of clothing. It was only going to get more difficult from here.

"Now comes the jacket," Jack continued, unzipping the jacket slowly before pulling it open. He took a moment to critically examine her upper torso. Sam fidgeted under his gaze.

"Nothing happened to my front, sir," Sam said peevishly, growing uncomfortable with the Colonel's eyes on her.

"I'm not entirely sure if I can trust you on that, Captain," Jack sharply replied. She had lied to him before. Okay, so maybe she hadn't _lied._ But she had omitted.

"I'm really sorry for not telling you about my back earlier, Colonel," Sam insisted earnestly. She knew she had screwed up royally by not telling the Colonel first thing. "I should have said something earlier, and for that I'm really, really sorry." She met his gaze and tried to convey how truly sorry she was. Jack knew he needed to read her the riot act, let her know how dangerous it was for both her and the team to withhold something like this.

Later. He'd read her the riot act later. Right now they needed to fix her up. He returned to his work with the jacket.

"I want to remove your arms from the sleeves and pull the jacket off your back at an angle," Jack continued. "That way, we won't put any undue pressure on... areas that you don't particularly want any pressure on."

"Makes sense, sir."

"But before I do, I need to make sure this isn't actually stuck to anything on your back." Sam did not like the sound of that. The Colonel was going to have to actually put his hands _on_ her back. That was _not_ going to be pleasant.

While Sam was contemplating, Jack walked behind her, trying to sort out the logistics of doing all of this with Carter seated. The log she was on was less than a foot off the ground. Jack frowned. This wasn't going to work.

"Captain," he began, "do you think you could stand again? This will probably be easier" _and potentially less painful_ "if you were upright."

"Of course, sir." Jack walked back to her front, and reached out and helped Sam stand back up. She was holding herself with a rigidness that reminded Jack of how Sara used to get up and down during her final month of pregnancy. Jack shook his head. Focus, O'Neill.

With only the slightest of grunts, Sam was back on her feet. Jack couldn't help but notice how clammy her hands had become. A thin sheen of sweat glistened across Sam's face. Jack reached out and place a cool hand across her forehead.

"You're getting warm, Captain," Jack said, frowning slightly. Fever meant infection. Shit. Really not what Carter needed on top of everything else.

"Sorry, sir."

"Not your fault, Carter. Stop apologizing." He paused and looked at her critically again. She didn't seem particularly steady on her feet.

"You really okay to stand on your own?" Jack asked. "I can get Daniel over here to help."

"I'll be fine, sir," Sam replied, determined to appear strong. _At least for this part_ she told herself.

"Let me know if you feel faint, Captain," Jack ordered. He looked her straight in the eye and gave her his best serious Colonel voice. "I mean it."

"Yes, sir."

"All righty then," Jack began, as he walked behind Sam. "Let's see how this goes." Sam's jacket was only slightly bunched against her back. Jack reached out and very carefully separated the jacket from the back of her pants and pulled it up with care. There was a slight resistance as her jacket separated from her waistband, causing Sam to flinch. Jack immediately paused.

"Ok so far?"

"Yes, sir."

Jack looked at... well, Jack looked at his Captain's ass. Ok, so technically it was her lower waist, or maybe her upper hip? But the whole area was kindof a complete package, which meant that Jack was looking at Carter's ass. Thankfully, the split second that fueled Jack's very normal, very male observation that Sam Carter had a really nice ass vanished almost instantly as he noticed the way her black t-shirt was stuck to her back, and the obvious staining on the webbed belt. Very carefully, Jack reached out and touched the webbing. Sam only flinched a little. It was damp to the touch, and Jack was not surprised when he pulled his hand back and discovered red-tinged fingers.

"Shit." Oops. Had he said that out loud?

"Sir?" Sam looked at him with concerned eyes.

"Sorry, Carter," Jack said with a sigh. "I'm afraid you have some bleeding back here." Dammit. "Sam, I'd really like to try and take a quick look under your t-shirt, okay?" Sam couldn't help but suck in a breath at the thought. "I'm just going to pull up the very edge, Captain. Promise. I'll take a quick peek and then we'll go back to removing your jacket."

"If you think that's for the best, sir." Jack couldn't see Sam's eyes, but could feel her trembling. Her shirt was plastered against her back like a second skin, and it didn't take 3 guesses to figure out why. He felt a fresh wave of hatred towards Turghan and his Mongolian way of life. Jack took a moment to reign in his own strong feelings before continuing to talk to Sam.

"On the plus side, Captain," Jack began again, as he carefully pulled up the edge of her shirt. "Your t-shirt down here near your waist is obviously damp, so there's less chance of it sticking to your skin..." Jack's voice trailed off as he caught sight of the first infected gash. It looked ghastly. Sam was a fair woman, so any markings again her skin were going to stand out, but Jack hadn't quite been prepared for the severity. Mottled black and red bruises surrounded a vicious-looking ragged gash across in her skin. It looked deep, and very, very painful. Jack could see fat drops of blood oozing from one edge. _Shit, shit, shit._

Sam was holding herself completely still.

"Breathe, Captain," Jack ordered, placing a warm hand against the side of her uninjured waist. Sam let out a hitched breath. As Jack pulled the blood-soaked t-shirt up another few inches. He shook his head and exhaled as he took in all the damage. He could now see the base of a second laceration and if anything, it looked worse than the first.

"Not good, huh?" Sam was aware the Colonel had stopped talking. She could feel the cool air against her skin, and while it didn't exactly hurt, it did make her aware of how much of her Colonel O'Neill was looking at.

"I admit Carter, that your back kinda looks a little like a modern art painting..."

"Colorful?"

"Among other things..." Jack sighed. He'd seen enough.

"I'm done looking," Jack said finally, as he gently patted the unmarred part of her waist and then removed his hand. He gently guiding the t-shirt back down. "Now all we need to do is finish taking off your jacket."

Jack reached under, and with the lightest of touches, began to move his hand slowly up her back. Jack was glad that the stronger trembling had been reduced to only the occasional tremor. He was very careful to keep the pressure of his hands on the jacket side, with very little touching her damp t-shirt. Jack gritted his teeth. If the rest of her back was even half as bad as the lower half, Sam was in for a very rough time.

As Jack moved upward, Sam tensed more and her breathing changed. She began to audibly exhale through her mouth in little pants.

Jack paused. "How bad is the pain, Captain?"

"Maybe a 4?" Sam exhaled through her teeth, hands tightly fisted against her side. She was determined to be a model officer and not show her pain. There! She said it. Pain. Not discomfort but Strong Pulsing God-Damned Pain.

"Almost there," Jack assured her, as he reached the area just below her shoulders. Unfortunately, here he ran into resistance. Dried _something_ had stuck the jacket to Carter's shirt. He pulled very slightly.

"Now a 5 sir," Sam said in a rush as she began breathing in shallow pants.

"Some of the jacket is stuck to your shirt," Jack explained apologetically, as his left hand joined his right in the problem area. "I have to separate them in order to get your jacket off." He saw Sam's head jerk up and down in understanding. "This is going to hurt, Captain," Jack apologized. "But it will be quick." He paused as he waited for Sam to acknowledge. "Let me know when you're ready."

Sam breathed in and out twice and gave a curt nod as she tensed up her entire body.

"Relax, Captain." Jack insisted. "I'm going to do it on three, okay? I need you to breath in..." he waited until Sam breathed in. "And out." She exhaled. "We're going to do that three times, okay? On the third exhale, I'm going to completely remove the jacket." Not trusting her voice, Sam once again nodded.

"Inhale...and exhale." _One_

"Breathe in... and out." _Two_

 _"_ Last one, inhale... and exhale." As soon as the 'ex' of exhale was out of Jack's mouth, he swiftly placed one hand directly on Sam's back, pressing firmly into her damp t-shirt as he pulled the jacket completely away from her body. Sam's third exhale turned into an intense low moan that ended with a strangled cry. Jack ignored the pinpricks of moisture gathering in his own eyes and tried not to think about the raised welts he had felt through her damp shirt. At least the shirt hadn't felt as... wet as it did near her waist.

"8! 8!" Sam cried, as she gasped in small uneven breaths, struggling to regain control.

"That's it, Sam," Jack said, dropping the jacket to the ground and quickly walking to Carter's front. He took hold of her shaking hands. "I'm all done." A moment passed.

"You did great, Captain." She really did, thought Jack. Given what he suspected of her injuries, he had known seasoned soldiers who would have cried out a hell of a lot more than Carter did. "I know that must have hurt like a son of a bitch."

"Like a son of a bitch, sir," Sam agreed. Her hands still shaking slightly as her breathing slowly returned to normal.

"How's the pain now?" Clearly, it was better if Sam could talk again.

"Back to a 3 or 4." Jack was glad the pain had subsided somewhat. He noticed that Sam's legs were still wobbly, so he helped lower her back to the log. Her face was clearly flushed now, her eyes bright with fever. He needed to get her back to the SGC.

Jack regarded her for a moment before continuing. "Sit here for a few minutes, Carter, I need to talk to the boys for a sec."

"Sir...?" Sam asked. Jack took of his cap and ran his fingers through his short brown hair.

"That t-shirt of yours is not going to come off easily, Captain," Jack explained. "I think it'll be easier if we have you lay down before we attempt to remove it." Sam grimaced.

"You absolutely sure I can't convince you to just have me walk back to the gate, sir?" Sam tried for the third time.

Truthfully, Jack was wondering the same thing. But they were at least three hours out, given Sam's condition. Three hours of sweat and heat and a rapidly spreading infection was the last thing Carter needed. Infection was really the main danger right now. Even if Jack sent Daniel or Teal'c for help, the best he could hope for was 4 hours before they'd return. Most likely 5, and then they'd _still_ need to get Carter back through the Stargate. No, the best thing he could do was clean her up as best as he could and get everyone home together.

"Sorry, Carter," Jack said apologetically. "We need to take care of this now." He watched as she hung her head in defeat. "I promise I'll try and make it quick, so we can get you back on your feet and through the Gate in no time, okay?"

Sam didn't trust herself to speak and only nodded. This mission totally sucked.


	4. Chapter 4

**Major Sam angst ahead. You have been warned.**

* * *

"How is she?" Daniel asked.

"She has been better," O'Neill admitted. "I got her vest and jacket off okay, and managed to take a little look under her t-shirt." Jack paused, considering what to say. "I'm afraid it's pretty bad," he said finally. "The lacerations are deep, and her back is still bleeding in places. Sam is also showing signs of infection." Daniel paled at Jack's words. "We need to clean and dress the worst of it before bringing her home."

"Turghan is a Ha'taaka!" Teal'c said fiercely, eyes flashing in cold fury. He gripped his staff weapon tightly.

"Ha'taaka?" Jack asked, turning towards Daniel.

"An insult," Daniel explained, answering automatically, his mind still processing Jack's words. "Poisoner of minds, slayer of children, that sort of thing."

"That he is, Teal'c," Jack agreed.

"So what now?" Daniel asked, looking at Sam sitting rigidly on the log.

Jack sighed audibly. "We need to create a comfortable space for Carter to lie down. It's the easiest way to remove her shirt and clean the..." Jack paused, as he contemplated his choice of words. "Wounds."

"Can't you just..." Daniel motioned with his hands, "cut it off her while she's standing?" He blushed as he realized that that would leave Sam more or less naked from her waist up.

"In theory, that would work great," Jack replied, his mind clearly not going where Daniel's was. "We could cut it away from her back, and Carter could hold the front of the shirt against her chest." Daniel blinked, but Jack didn't look put out at all. "The thing is, Daniel," Jack continued. "The lashes have left deep marks on Carter's back, and her wearing a pack for several hours have caused at least some of those bleeding...wounds to saturate her shirt." Daniel looked confused.

"Daniel, the blood has caused her shirt to stick to her back like glue. We're going to need to remove it." The phrase 'and it's going to hurt like hell' was implied. Daniel got it.

"By placing Carter on her front," Jack continued, "we can use warm water to loosen the bond between her skin, the t-shirt and the... damage." Jack once again scrubbed a hand across his face. At least that was the idea. He had seen it work before. He had unfortunately experienced it working before, too.

"I will gather what is needed, O'Neill."

"Thanks, Teal'c."

A minute later all three men walked over to where Sam sat waiting. She looked at them guiltily, but before she could open her mouth to apologize, Daniel beat her to it.

"I am so sorry this happened to you, Dr. Carter!"

"Ohforcryingoutloud Daniel," Jack groused. "It's _Captain_ Carter. Rank comes before ... whatever you call the doctor part of the name."

"Academic salutation?" Sam offered, smiling a little at the argument. In spite of the appalling circumstances, Sam was really glad her team was with her. SG-1. They might still be getting to know one another, but Sam already trusted these men with her life. SG-1 seemed different. They _were_ different. An Air Force Colonel, an Astrophysicist (and Air Force Captain, Sam reminded herself), an Archaeologist and a Jaffa. Not exactly your run of the mill team. But they were her team. Her guys. That is if Colonel O'Neill didn't kick her off the team for insubordination or something.

"Daniel," Sam continued, attempting to get the thoughts of possible military punishment out of her head, "Please call me Sam. Or Captain Carter if you're feeling particularly irriated at me."

"Jack," Daniel said, turning towards his friend, "are you feeling particularly irriated at Sam?" Jack barely resisted the urge to hit Daniel with his cap. The fact that he _was_ feeling particularly pissed at Sam was besides the point. He knew she hadn't meant for things to get so out of hand and nothing, _nothing_ she did warranted the treatment she received.

Before Jack could once again explain military relationships, Sam cut in with her apology, "I am truly sorry guys," she began earnestly. "I honestly didn't realize it was that big of a deal... until it suddenly...was." Sam looked down at her fingers. The drugs the Colonel had given her had taken the edge off the pain. The pain was still there, but it was more muted, not quite as sharp. She did feel warm though. Sam wouldn't admit it to the Colonel, but she was getting a little worried about her increasing fever. As the trained medic of the team, she knew infection was often more serious than the original injury.

"I put the team in danger by not letting you know of my condition," Sam insisted, looking all three of her teammates in the eye. "I promise you it won't happen again."

"No, it's my fault Sam," Daniel assured her, kneeling by her side. "I never should have insisted you put on that dress. You're an astrophysicist not an anthropologist!"

"Enough!" Jack ordered. "There's enough blame to go around. " While the three had been talking, Teal'c had unrolled some bedding. He placed the warm water and medical supplies to one side and looked expectantly at O'Neill. "It is ready."

"You ready, Captain?" Jack asked quietly, as he helped her to her feet. Sam grunted softly and then sighed as she looked at the concern on her three teammate's faces. Although she'd never wish her...injuries on anyone, she couldn't help but be a bit grumpy about the fact that this had happened to her. The lone woman on the team. The weakest link.

"I'd like to put in a request for our next planet to contain Amazons, sir. Strong, kick-ass female warriors."

"I am sure they would recognize you as one of their own, CaptainCarter," Teal'c said solemnly.

"I agree with Teal'c," Jack replied with a smile. "You totally kicked ass, Captain." He held Sam's elbows as she gingerly lowered herself to the bedding, resting on her knees. She waved the Colonel's hands away as she awkwardly leaned to one side, bracing all of her weight on her arm and stretching out both her legs as best as she could. She bit her lips hard, as she struggled not to cry out as her back muscles stretched painfully. Sam immediately realized that this was not going to work. Her right arm simply didn't have the strength to lower her weight in a controlled manner. At any moment she was going to drop, hard, against the ground and then all her hard work at being the strong, stoic officer was going to go to hell in a hand basket.

Before Sam could process what to do next, a pair of strong arms caught hold of her shoulders, and another took hold of her legs.

"Let us help, Carter," the Colonel said. "Teal'c?" He looked at the Jaffa holding Sam's legs and together they lowered her in a slow, controlled descent. Sam was now lying perfectly prone, with her arms at her sides and her head angled sharply to her left.

"Here Sam, this might help." Daniel lifted her head and placed a folded fleece jacket under her head.

"Thanks, Daniel." Sam was thankful for the fluffy softness. It gave her something to shove her face into. She would never admit it to her team, but she was a little scared at what was going to happen next. She knew it was going to hurt, she just didn't know how much.

"Ok, Captain," Jack began. "We're going to do this the same way as the jacket removal. I'm going to walk you through what I'm doing the whole time, okay? We're going to try to loosen things up so it doesn't hurt as much, but I'm afraid I don't have any of the Doc's happy juice, so this isn't going to feel very good." _Understatement._

"I understand, sir." Sam mumbled into the fleece.

Jack took some time to wash his own hands using first the field soap included in the first aid kit, and then liberal amounts of anti-bacterial gel. He hoped they were clean enough. With Jack on one side of her, and Daniel on the other, Jack poured hot water onto Daniel's unused bandana.

"Carter, I'm going to place this warm cloth on your lower back. Hopefully, it will help loosen any...material stuck to your shirt. It might sting a little." He lightly squeezed some of the excess moisture out the cloth and placed it on the base of Sam's back, applying very gentle pressure. Sam tensed and let out a low strangled sound as she breathed out.

"4," Sam hissed.

"Four?" Daniel asked looking at Jack.

"It's a number on the pain scale," Jack explained. Zero is no pain, and 10 is unimaginable pain. For reference, intense pain is a 6."

"So getting hit by a staff blast...?" Daniel asked, as he remembered the event on their first mission.

"Did you immediately pass out?" Jack asked.

"I'm pretty sure I immediately _died_ , Jack." Daniel closed his eyes briefly at the memory.

"That would be a 10, then" Dying usually topped the pain scale.

"What's a four?" asked Daniel.

"Think bad toothache," Sam mumbled, breathing slowly in and out.

"Let's see how this goes Captain," Jack said removing the warm cloth and gently pulling the bottom of Sam's shirt up a few inches. Sam let out a low grunt. All three men could see the edge of severely discolored and ragged looking skin. Daniel felt sick. He opened his mouth to say something, but Jack looked at him sharply and shook his head. Daniel got the message and stayed silent.

"Ok. I think this is going to work," Jack declared, as he gently set the fabric back down. Sam hissed. "Carter, we're going to do this again, but over a wider area of your back. After that, I'll use scissors to cut away the fabric and then clean up your back, okay?"

"You sure, none of you smuggled out any of those little airplane bottles of booze?" Sam asked, releasing a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding. "I could really use some extra strong spirits about now."

"I promise an IV full of happy juice is in your future, Captain," Jack insisted. In a gentler voice, he continued, "You just need to hold on for a few hours." He saw Sam nod slightly against the fleece pillow.

Jack once again moistened the bandana, only this time he placed it across her entire back.

Sam gasped, but then relaxed as the warmth actually made her back feel somewhat better. "I think this helps a bit," Sam said in a muffled voice. It was disconcerting (not to mention embarrassing) looking at her teammates sideways. It was easier to hide her face a little.

"I'm afraid that won't last long, Captain. We need to saturate the skin and shirt, which means..."

"I know, sir." Sam replied. She balled her fists in anticipation. Daniel impulsively reached down and grabbed one of her hands, opening it so he could place his own inside.

"Squeeze as hard as you need Sam," Daniel said, sitting on the grass next to her. Sam gently closed her hand around Daniel's in thanks.

Jack removed the bandana, wet it again and placed it again on Sam's back. Unfortunately, pieces of her shirt seemed to have embedded themselves directly into a particularly nasty laceration. Jack pulled slightly, watching as the skin stretched taunt against the shirt. Sam let out a painful moan, squeezing Daniel's hand hard.

"7!" Sam cried out, trying to pull away. Jack immediately stopped what he was doing, waiting for the pain to subside and her breathing to become more regular. Daniel looked distressed, but Jack was glad to see that he didn't look like he was about to faint or anything.

"We nearly have it, Captain," Jack said softly, as he brushed damp hair out of her fevered face. Her eyes were tightly closed as she struggled to control her emotions. "I'm going to do the whole wet cloth thing two more times, okay? I think it will loosen up the remaining areas." Jack wasn't entirely certain this would work, but he knew they had to remove the shirt and this was hopefully the least painful way.

He placed the warm cloth on her back once and then twice. He didn't apply much pressure either time, and Sam's breathing seemed to be under control again. "Okay Carter, we're going to end this now. But in order to make sure it really works, I'm going to apply a little pressure this time, okay?" Sam nodded and squeezed Daniel's hand.

"On three, Carter," Jack began. "Remember to breathe. I'm not going to press hard, just a little, but it will be more than you've felt so far." Sam shuttered at the thought and inhaled. "One... _exhale._ Two... _inhale_. Three... _exha..."_ Jack pressed the wet cloth gently, but firmly into her entire back.

The scream that tore from Sam's throat was heart wrenching. Jack did his best to hold her down without further aggravating her back, while Daniel held her arms. Moments later all struggling ceased as she slipped into unconsciousness.

"And that Daniel," Jack said quietly. "Was a 10." _Without the dying part._

* * *

A/N - Poor Sam! I just can't help myself. Sorry! I did mention that I really _really_ like a good hurt/comfort story, right? This was the worst of it, folks. From here on out, things get better for Sam.


	5. Chapter 5

Daniel frantically wiped his streaming eyes. It would be a long time before he got the sound of Sam's scream out of his mind.

Jack removed the wet cloth and slid two fingers against Sam's neck. Pulse was strong. Jack breathed a sigh of relief and lightly tapped Sam on the cheek. "You just rest, Captain," he said. "We have you." This actually would go faster now that Sam was out. Jack looked over and saw that Daniel's face was devoid of all color, tear tracks on his cheeks. His arms were wrapped tightly around his waist as he looked at the unmoving form of one Captain Samantha Carter, PhD.

"She'll be okay, Daniel," Jack said, placing a reassuring hand on Daniel's arm. "I thought this might happen and I actually think it's for the best."

"For the best?!" Daniel asked incredulously. "You think it's for the best that someone is in so much pain that they pass out?!"

"Yes," Jack replied honestly. Focusing on the work still left to do, Jack removed the damp cloth and quickly got to work cutting Captain Carter's shirt in two. The sides fell open and Jack sucked in his breath as Daniel turned away at the sight of Sam's back.

Sam's back was a mess, even worse than the parts he had seen before. The areas of unmarked alabaster skin stood out starkly against the brutal damage inflicted by the beating. Jack counted seven deep lacerations, several overlapping one another. The whip had obviously been of the tasseled variety with multiple strips, Jack noted. He frowned, wishing Carter had told him that. But then again, would it really have made a difference at this point? Probably not.

All of the strikes were administered with obvious force, and three were openly weeping either blood or a cloudy white discharge. Vivid blue and purple bruises with faint green along the edges were found between each laceration. Two of the gashes (near where Sam's shoulder straps would have been, Jack noted), were inflamed and swollen with red streaks jutting out from the center. Definitely a sign of infection.

Using the remaining hot water, Jack gently cleaned each ragged lash mark, paying special attention to the infected areas. Sam didn't so much as twitch. Working quickly and efficiently, he covered each wound with clean sterile gauze. At some point he realized that Carter didn't have a bra on, but he didn't pay it much mind. She either lost it between costume changes when she was being held prisoner, or else realized it wouldn't work with her back and kept it off this morning. He continued to open package after package of gauze, pressing them firmly onto Carter's back. Sam let out a soft moan this time, but didn't wake up.

Both Daniel and Teal'c wanted to help, but Jack just shook his head. "I'm the only one with clean hands," he muttered. Working swiftly he then squeezed antibiotic ointment on top of each of the little towers of gauze and then taped large pieces of gauze over the whole thing. Sam's back was almost entirely white now with puffy bandages.

"Explain, O'Neill." Teal'c requested. It seemed odd to place medicine on top of the bandages.

Jack continued to work as he explained. "Carter has serious open wounds right now. I can't put any topical antibiotics directly into the wound, but I can place it on the gauze. As the dressing starts to settle, the antibiotics will seep into the injury. At least that's the idea." He finished taping the last one, effectively hiding all evidence of Sam's beating. He breathed a sigh of relief and set back on his knees.

Daniel opened his mouth to say something, but Jack held up a hand before he could speak.

"And if you're going to ask why I don't just use that antiseptic stuff we were given, it was too dangerous."

"What do you mean too dangerous?!" Daniel asked incredulously. "We saw how it used on that guy with the arrow injury." Jack opened his mouth to reply, but Daniel continued before he could interject.

"And," he said loudly, "we know that stuff must be pretty potent as it was used on Sam and she didn't even feel her damn back for 24 hours."

"Yes she did, Daniel," Jack said softly.

"No she didn't, Jack." Daniel paused, remembering what Sam had told them. "She told us that it didn't really hurt much."

"What she _said,_ Daniel," Jack answered sharply, "was that the medicine "helped" and that her injury "wasn't a big deal". That's _not_ the same thing at all!" Jack was once again angry. He was angry at the damn backwardness of this planet, angry at Sam for not telling him about her injuries earlier, and angry at himself for not looking for or recognizing signs of mistreatment. 'Helluva Commanding Officer you've been O'Neill,' Jack said darkly to himself.

"Couldn't we at least try to use it? I mean, won't it at least help?" Daniel asked, jarring Jack from his thoughts.

"Daniel, maybe that stuff is some wonder drug," Jack admitted. "But I'm not going to risk Carter's health by putting that goop on open and infected wounds, okay? We're sticking with the known treatment options until we get Sam back to the SGC." Both men fell silent for several seconds before Daniel broke the tension.

"So now what?"

"Now we wait for Carter to wake up and then we get the hell out of dodge." Jack stood up with a groan and began gathering all the medical garbage scattered around.

"I think you are forgetting something, O'Neill." Teal'c said, slightly amused that he needed to point out the obvious.

Jack looked around. "No bad guys. Carter is sleeping. Wound treated. Packing up...what am I missing?"

Teal'c motioned towards Captain Carter. "When CaptainCarter awakes, will she not inevitably want to stand up?"

* * *

A/N - Aren't I evil? I know this chapter is short, but it was the perfect ending to the scene, so I decided to give you all a little bonus treat. From here on out, I actually have to _write_ something new. It might be a couple of days between chapters, but I do admit to working faster when I know folks are reading. G


	6. Chapter 6

Both Jack and Daniel gave a mighty good impression of a goldfish as they opened their mouths and then closed them again as they realized what Tea'c was saying. Jack snapped his fingers. "Clothing. Carter needs a top." He really had thought about that in the beginning, but with her back almost entirely covered in white bandages and the remains of her black t-shirt crumpled at her sides covering anything else, he had actually forgotten all about that rather important clothing article. Oops.

"Ok," Jack said more to himself than his male teammates. "We can do this."

"Of course," Daniel agreed.

"Indeed."

Jack ran his fingers through his short brown hair and squinted his eyes a little at the slumbering Captain. Only the slight rise and fall of her back gave any movement at all, but Jack knew that could all change in an instant. If they were going to attempt something, they needed to do it now, before she woke up. Jack snapped his fingers. Inventory. He needed to do another inventory.

"Okay, guys. Look through the packs and tell me what you have that's clean. Daniel, did Carter have anything we can use? I know she didn't have an extra t-shirt, but maybe something else?" Daniel reached his pack and pulled out one of Sam's sports bras that he shoved into a corner. He was slightly uncomfortable handling Captain Carter's undergarments. Sure, Daniel had had girlfriends in the past, and heck, he even had been married for a year, but Sha're's things were... well, _hers._

"It seems clean," Daniel said waving it slightly in Jack's direction.

"Nope, won't work," Jack said dismissing the garment. "Not only would it be extraordinarily challenging to get that onto Carter without embarrassing all of us, but in her condition, we can't put anything binding against her skin. Man, I wish we had packed BDUs! Those would have worked great."

In the end, they had a choice between Daniel's fleece jacket or his spare black t-shirt. Considering that the temperature was mild and that Sam had a fever, Jack chose the t-shirt. He would have preferred she wear something of the button-up variety, but Jack didn't want to risk having her wear any of the guys' dirty jackets. Plus, the rough material would feel like hell against her skin. Now they just needed to figure out how to get it on Sam without causing her more pain.

Together, the three men walked over to wear Sam still lay unconscious on her front. They had a garment to cover her with, now they just needed to figure out how to get it on her.

It took Jack exactly 60 seconds to work through the solution. As much as he _occasionally_ pretended to be...a bit slow, he was actually an extremely intelligent officer. An officer who had logged hundreds of hours as team leader. Hundreds of hours of dealing with situations that occasionally demanded creative solutions. So while he hadn't actually experienced, 'Trapped off world with a topless officer unable to put on her own shirt', he _did_ recall something that would help.

"Hold this a sec Daniel," Jack said throwing the t-shirt to the surprised archaeologist. "Teal'c, with me."

Walking swiftly over to Sam, Jack kneeled down and gingerly placed his hands under her shoulders. He looked at Teal'c and was glad to see that the Jaffa warrior had already figured out his role in the operation. Being very careful not to touch any of the bandages, Jack gently lifted Sam's torso an inch off the ground. The moment there was enough clearance, Teal'c pulled away the bloody remains of Sam's t-shirt and threw it off to one side. Jack immediately lowered Sam back to the ground and called to Daniel over his shoulder.

"T-shirt!" Daniel threw Jack the clean shirt.

Jack caught the shirt, and after taking a moment to situate the shirt as needed, fed Sam's right arm through an open arm hole. He then pulled it tight against her armpit and, while lifting Sam's head slightly, pulled the neck opening over her head. At that moment, Sam began to stir. Working fast, Jack bent Sam's arm at the elbow and then murmured, "Sorry Carter, this might hurt a bit," he pulled her arm up, and efficiently fed it through the remaining arm hole. Sam moaned softly as she started to shift her body. Consciousness was returning. Jack caught Teal'c's eye and said, "On one."

"One!" Jack lifted Sam up again by her shoulders another inch, as Teal'c reached across her body, and grasped the t-shirt on both sides and pulled it efficiently down, covering her entire torso. As soon as it was clear that both her front and back were covered, Jack lowered Sam back to the ground. Moments later, her eyes began to flutter open. She blinked a few times and then focused on the Colonel's sideways face, kneeling by her side.

"Hi," Jack said, leaning down a bit more so he was fully in Sam's line of sight. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Daniel standing on the sidelines looking completely thunderstruck. Jack had to admit, that was a pretty smooth operation if he didn't say so himself. "How are you feeling?"

Sam thought about it for a few moments. "Achy," she said finally. Her back was throbbing, but it wasn't the sharp, gut-wrenching pain of earlier. For that, Sam was very, very thankful. She unconsciously wet her lips. "Thirsty," she added.

"We can help you with that one Carter." Jack reached next to him and grabbed a water canteen. He was about to hand it to her, but immediately became aware of her positioning and how incredibly difficult it would be to try and drink water while lying completely flat on your stomach. Sam was going to need to elevate herself at least a little before she took a drink. She was also going to need to stand up, but that was a larger issue for a later time. First things first, water.

"Carter, it's going to be way easier to drink if you sit up." Sam had just caught onto that herself and was mentally trying to figure out the best way to get herself upright. Her hands had already begun to explore the area around her hips for the best leverage, but before she could make any overt moves, Jack spoke.

"Captain, I'm sure you really want to sit up on your own, but as your CO and a someone who has been in a similar position before, I'd really like for you to accept our help." Sam's hands stopped moving and she looked at Jack expectantly. She not only wanted to sit up in order to drink and be more comfortable, but all these sideways glances at her team was really making her nauseous.

"I see this going down one of two ways," Jack continued. "You can cause yourself a world of hurt, not to mention use up most of your energy, in figuring out how to sit up on your own..." he glanced down, making sure Sam was following his logic. "Or, you can let Teal'c and I be your elevator and hoist you upright." He paused, considering what to say next. "We can keep your body as straight as possible Captain. Less strain on your back injuries." Sam took another moment to consider her position, as well as her medical condition and agreed with a mumbled, "OK".

"Teal'c you take her shoulders, and I'll have her feet. Carter, Teal'c will slowly lift your body upright, keeping it angled while I lift your feet. Once you're several feet off the ground, I'll lower your legs as Teal'c walks forward, keeping your torso as straight as possible. If we do this right, we should end up with you upright with minimal pulling on your back. Sam couldn't help it, she turned her head slightly and giggled into her fleece pillow.

"Captain?" Jack was confused.

"I'm sorry," Sam said chuckling to herself, and then wincing as the movement pulled at her bandages. "I can't help but think of that game we used to play at camp." She couldn't really see her team very well, so she wasn't sure if they understood.

"What game?" That was Daniel.

"I don't know if it had an official name, but we always referred to it as 'Stiff as a board, light as a feather'."

"Oh!" Daniel again. "I remember this! It's where you gather around someone lying on the ground and try to lift them up using two fingers while chanting, 'Stiff as a board, light as a feather.' The idea is that the kids are just guiding the body of the person lying on the ground. It's the 'Spirits' who are doing all the real lifting."

Sam smiled. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking of." Jack had never heard of it, but judging by the look of amusement on the faces of the younger members of his teams, it must have been fun.

"If it's all the same to you, Carter," Jack said smiling wryly, "I'd prefer if Teal'c and I rely on physical rather than metaphysical strength."

"I'd prefer that as well, sir."

Handing Daniel the canteen, Jack positioned himself at Sam's feet, and Teal'c at her head. He placed his hands under her shoulders.

"I will endeavor to not harm you CaptainCarter," Teal'c said with utmost seriousness.

"I know you will, Teal'c." Sam could feel tears threatening to spill out of her eyes and quickly turned her face and wiped it away on the jacket. She felt both the Colonel's and Teal'c's hands on her and took a breath in anticipation.

"On three," Jack began as he nodded at Teal'c. "One, two, three..." Sam held her body rigid, as Teal'c slowly lifted her torso upwards. Jack followed with her legs a moment later, and Sam instantly became nauseous as she stared at the ground moving away from her. She closed her eyes tightly and thought of math calculations in her head in an attempt to distract herself. Suddenly, Sam became acutely aware of the way her breasts were swaying completely unbound. Her eyes flew open and she immediately tried to move her head to see more, mortified that she was being lifted up topless.

"Carter, stop that!" Jack ordered gripping her feet tighter. He had instantly figured out her concern. "You've got a shirt on!" Sam ceased movement, as she looked down and caught sight of a loose-fitting black shirt billowing beneath her. She exhaled in relief and closed her eyes again as she felt her body tilting, first a little and then a lot as her legs were lowered to the ground. Sam grunted at the movement, but continued to keep her eyes closed. Moments later, her boots touched the ground as Teal'c walked her body forward until she was upright. Sam took a moment to ensure she was steady on her feet, and then opened her eyes.

Her teammates looked at her expectantly, and Sam gave them a bright smile. She might still feel like crap, but she was upright and not in excruciating pain, so the day was definitely improving.

"Hi," she greeted the worried men. "Nice lifting."

"Think nothing of it, Carter," Jack quipped, as he motioned to Daniel to bring over the water. Sam took the canteen eagerly and began to drink in large gulps.

"Easy Captain," Jack said putting a hand on the canteen to prevent Sam from drinking any more. "We don't want you to..." his words were lost as Sam suddenly bent over, cried out at the movement, and then promptly threw up.

"get sick," Jack finished.

* * *

A/N - Sorry. I said I was done abusing Sam, but I'm afraid Muse insisted on a bit more. Don't worry! The tale will most assuredly end with Sam tucked safely into clean infirmary sheets with intravenous pain medication. This chapter was fun to write, but taxing! I kept finding myself lying on my stomach, trying to sort out all the movements and muscled needed to move a person from lying on their stomach to standing upright. Lots of moving pieces!

I don't have a darn thing written after this except an alternative version of this chapter (which I'll post later), so please let me know if this little tale of mine if you're still enjoying this.


	7. Chapter 6 - Alternative Version

Here's the alternative version of Chapter 6 where we see a lot *ahem* more of Captain Samantha Carter. It's long! And angsty! And yeah, it might contain a wee bit of shippy elements, but truly, I was trying to keep it real and not use words like, "creamy, alabaster skin", even if it **is** an accurate description. I also tried to give Jack a normal reaction to seeing a gorgeous 5'9 partially naked blonde. It was made all the harder by the fact that Sam _is_ his type. Oops.

Right. So the one posted yesterday was obviously my first choice as it's just more realistic. Still, I had a blast writing this one. Let me know your thoughts! The italicized bits are where the story is the same.

* * *

 _Both Jack and Daniel gave a mighty good impression of a goldfish as they opened their mouths and then closed them again as they realized what Tea'c was saying. Jack snapped his fingers. "Clothing. Carter needs a top." He really had thought about that in the beginning, but with her back almost entirely covered in white bandages and the remains of her black t-shirt crumpled at her sides covering anything else, he had actually forgotten all about that rather important clothing article. Oops._

 _"Ok," Jack said more to himself than his male teammates. "We can do this."_

 _"Of course," Daniel agreed._

 _"Indeed."_

 _Jack ran his fingers through his short brown hair and squinted his eyes a little at the slumbering Captain. Only the slight rise and fall of her back gave any movement at all, but Jack knew that could all change in an instant. If they were going to attempt something, they needed to do it now, before she woke up. Jack snapped his fingers. Inventory. He needed to do another inventory._

 _"Okay, guys. Look through the packs and tell me what you have that's clean. Daniel, did Carter have anything we can use? I know she didn't have an extra t-shirt, but maybe something else?" Daniel reached his pack and pulled out one of Sam's sports bras that he shoved into a corner. He was slightly uncomfortable handling Captain Carter's undergarments. Sure, Daniel had had girlfriends in the past, and heck, he even had been married for a year, but Sha're's things were... well, hers._

 _"It seems clean," Daniel said waving it slightly in Jack's direction._

 _"Nope, won't work," Jack said dismissing the garment. "Not only would it be extraordinarily challenging to get that onto Carter without embarrassing all of us, but in her condition, we can't put anything binding against her skin. Man, I wish we had packed BDUs! Those would have worked great."_

 _In the end, they had a choice between Daniel's fleece jacket or his spare black t-shirt. Considering that the temperature was mild and that Sam had a fever, Jack chose the t-shirt. He would have preferred she wear something of the button-up variety, but Jack didn't want to risk having her wear any of the guys' dirty jackets. Plus, the rough material would feel like hell against her skin. Now they just needed to figure out how to get it on Sam without causing her more pain._

 _Together, the three men walked over to wear Sam still lay unconscious on her front. They had a garment to cover her with, now they just needed to figure out how to get it on her._

Before they could formulate a plan, a soft moan alerted them to the fact that Sam was awake. So much for making it not awkward.

"Captain Carter!" Daniel yelled, running towards her. He immediately kneeled by her side and took her hand. "How do you feel?"

"Thirsty." Sam immediately began to move her hands, in an attempt to leverage herself into a more upright position.

"Hang on there, Carter," Jack said quickly, putting a light hand on part of her shoulder without bandages. "First, I want to know how the pain is." Although Jack really was concerned about her pain level, he also was looking for a valid delay tactic.

"5," she answered immediately. Jack nodded. Five wasn't exactly great, but he could work with 5. More importantly, she could _move_ with 5. He glanced at his watch and made a note that Carter could have some more pain killers in about an hour. Sam again began to move her hands.

"Captain Carter," Teal'c said seriously, "I advise you to cease movement until we can assist you in obtaining some proper attire." Jack winced, as Daniel blushed. Sam frroze. She suddenly realized she was lying on her stomach with only the tattered remains of her shirt covering her front. As soon as she was upright, that shirt would fall away leaving her topless. Okay. So that wasn't going to happen.

"Any of you guys have an extra shirt?" Although Sam recognized a shirt was probably her first priority, right now all she could think about was water. She was was very, very thirsty. Her skin felt all hot and papery and her back was throbbing in a constant deep hum that was just on the edge of full-on pain. Compared to all that, a missing shirt seemed like a minor inconvenience.

"We have one right here, Carter," Jack said, waving Daniel's shirt. "It's just that we're just not entirely sure how to get it on you."

"Well, sir," Sam replied, trying not to sound peevish. "How about you just hand it to me and then close your eyes?"

"Not sure if that'll work, Captain," Jack explained. "Your injuries are... extensive. _Understatement._ I'm not sure how much mobility you'll have in your arms." He knew she wasn't quite grasping the seriousness of her situation, but he trusted Carter would work it out on her own soon.

"Can we at least try?" Sam could feel her eyes start to sting with tears . She just wanted to put on the damn shirt and get some water. Jack heard the desperation in her voice and against his better judgment, acquiesced. He was pretty certain this was a bad idea, but as they weren't in immediate danger, he would allow the young Captain an attempt on her own.

"Okay Sam," Jack said quietly, bending down and placing the t-shirt in Sam's right hand. "We'll just be over here." Jack waved to a random spot a few feet away. "With our backs turned and eyes closed."

"Thanks, Sir," Sam replied blinking back tears. One by one, the guys of SG-1 turned their back and (Sam hoped) closed their eyes. Moving very slowly, Sam rolled onto her side. Her forehead broke out in a sweat and she bit back a cry at the exertion.

"You okay, Carter?" Jack asked concerned.

"This might be a little harder than I thought," Sam muttered, still determined to do it on her own. "But no turning around unless I ask for help, okay?"

"What if you pass out, CaptainCarter?" Teal'c asked. Good question, Teal'c! Jack was thinking the same thing.

Sam sighed. "Fine. _If_ you hear some sort of desperate scream _and_ I don't respond, then _one_ of you can turn around and check on me."

"Not it!" Daniel yelled before anyone could say anything.

"Daniel!" Jack admonished, shaking his head.

"What? I'm just saying, it shouldn't be me, that's all."

"I'll do it," Jack offered in a grumpy voice. "And I will do my damndest not to look at anything, Carter, okay?"

"Okay," Sam agreed. "I'm going to try this again." The men of SG-1 heard muffled grunts, audible pants and painful gasps as Sam pushed up with her right arm, while desperately trying to keep her entire torso as straight as can be. Sam was half up when a wrong move caused her to cry out in pain.

"Carter!" Jack yelled, forcing himself to remain turned around. "You okay?"

"No, I'm not okay!" Sam shouted, as her shoulders began to shake. "But I don't need your help!" Tears were streaming down her face. She just wanted to get that damn shirt on and drink some water, dammit! Biting her lip hard, Sam used all her strength to successfully position her knees under herself and slowly raised her body upright. Panting with the exertion, her eyes seeing stars due to pain, she looked around. No water.

"Dammit, Colonel!" Sam cried angrily. "There's no water!" She was going to lose it any second.

"Ah gawd Carter, I'm sorry!" Jack cursed himself for not leaving a canteen nearby. "You decent? Can I turn around and give you the canteen?"

"No, I'm not decent!" Sam yelled, beginning to cry again. Each breath sent intense flashes of pain across her back. "I'm sitting on my ass completely topless, dying of thirst! She started to sob.

"Carter, cover your chest," Jack ordered. "I don't care if you have that damn shirt over your head, but cover your chest and I'll bring you some water."

With shaking hands, Sam held the t-shirt against her breasts. "Okay," Sam sniffed. "It's safe to turn around." Jack turned and immediately walked back to where the canteen was. He turned around and headed towards her upright form, focusing on her eyes and not her chest.

"I'm really sorry, Carter," Jack said, placing the canteen in the hand not holding the shirt. "I know you're probably really thirsty Captain, but I strongly advise you take very small sips." Sam nodded, and holding the shirt firmly across her chest, brought the canteen up to her mouth. She grimaced in pain at the movement, but the thought of cool water was a great motivator. Sam carefully tipped the canteen into her mouth and drank deeply.

"Easy, Captain..." Jack reached over and took the canteen away before Sam could take another gulp. "I promise you can have more once you're upright. Sam sighed, but nodded. She looked down at her trembling arm holding the t-shirt awkwardly in place. Jack immediately turned around to give her privacy but didn't give her any additional space. He had a bad feeling about how this was going to go down and wanted to be nearby.

Jack could see the backs of both Daniel and Teal'c several feet away. "No one is looking, Sam."

"Ok," Sam answered. "I'm going to try and get this thing on, now." Keeping her eyes firmly on the Colonel's back, Sam removed the shirt from her chest. The air felt cool against her breasts and Sam wanted nothing more than to cover them up as quickly as possible. She held up the shirt and turned it around so it was facing the right way, and scrunched it up so that only the head opening was visible. She bent her head, and tried to lift her arms enough to get her head through the opening. Pain tore through her shoulders at the movement, causing Sam to gasp in pain and drop the shirt. She picked it up and tried again.

Jack heard her grunts of pain and mumbled curses as Sam's breathing became more and more erratic. Clearly, this wasn't working.

"Carter, may I make a suggestion?" There was only concern in his voice.

"Yes," Sam whispered hoarsely. She hurt too much to argue.

"Cover yourself and let me walk behind you. When you're ready, I'll close my eyes and and you can hand me the shirt, all set up to go over your head. I'll place it over your head. I think that's probably the hardest for you to do right now." He paused, considering his never words. " Together, and with my eyes entirely closed, we can work on getting your arms into the sleeves. How's that, sound?"

"It's worth a try." Sam placed the shirt over her chest again. "I'm ready."

Jack turned around, and took in the sight of his bedraggled looking Captain with concern. Sam's face was flushed with both fever and embarrassment. The blush was clearly visible across her impossibly pale throat, before it disappeared under Daniel's shirt. The rest of Sam's body was unmarked, except for a few random freckles dusting her arms and stomach. The entire picture was such a stark difference compared to her back. Jack could not help but notice her long toned arms and how utterly perfect her skin was. It had been a while since he had been with a woman, and dammit, Carter was kinda the type of woman he liked to be with.

Thankfully, Jack was very good at compartmentalizing and immediately filed the observation away for further contemplation. If working with Carter was going to be a problem for him, he needed to figure that out fast. But not now. Now, she needed his help. Jack walked behind Sam and tapped her lightly on the shoulders.

"I'm ready when you are," he said.

"Close your eyes," Sam demanded, completely forgetting to add the 'sir'.

"Eyes closed, maam," Jack said lightly. "Hands are open directly above your head..." Jack realized that wasn't going to work. The whole problem had to do with Carter not being able to lift her arms.

"Still covered, Carter?" Jack asked.

"Yes,sir."

"It'll be easier if you hand me the shirt from the side." Sam realized he was right but wasn't quite certain how he was going to get the damn thing over her head _without looking_ if he grabbed the shirt from the side.

"Don't worry, Captain," Jack assured her. "I was Special Ops, remember? I have confidence in my abilities to make this work." Sam could hear the humour in her Commanding Officer's voice and knew he wasn't the type of guy to take advantage of the situation.

"I trust you, sir." And she did. Sam hadn't realized until that very moment that she completely and utterly trusted her Colonel.

"I'm bending down now..." He held out his hand, and Sam could see his eyes were closed. She wordlessly dropped the shirt from her chest and placed it in the Colonel's hands.

Jack stood up, and with eyes firmly closed walked behind Sam. He turned around and opened his eyes, taking a few seconds to situate the shirt. Looking at his feet, he took a couple steps to the right so that he appeared to be directly behind Carter's back. "I'm turning around now, Carter..." Jack began.

Sam could not help but think about how truly odd this situation had become as she felt her Commanding Officer's hands tentatively touch her head. It felt almost almost erotic the way his fingers lightly grazed the top of her hair, feeling for the edges of her head to judge spatial distance. Sam then felt the cool softness of the cotton shirt as he pulled it down over her head. She let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.

"Carter, please tell me you now have a t-shirt over your head, I'd really hate to think I just covered your elbow or something."

"Head successfully covered, sir," Sam said with a smile.

"My eyes are still closed, but I'm heading over to your left side..." Sam watched as he took a step to the right and then a step forward. She heard his knees creak as he bent down. Jack reached out with his right hand and Sam immediately did the same with her left, grabbing the hand before it accidentally touched something he shouldn't.

"Good thinking, Captain!" He wiggled his fingers suggestively and Sam bit back a girly sounding giggle. This whole situation was utterly ridiculous.

"Carter, I'm going to reach up your arm and find the arm opening, okay?" Sam nodded, but quickly realized the Colonel couldn't actually see her.

"Got it, sir."

Jacks hand snaked slowly up Sam's arm and Sam could not help the sudden appearance of goosebumps at the sensation. Thankfully, the Colonel made no mention of them and soon he had found the t-shirt. Jack groped a bit haphazardly before he found the correct arm opening, and then, holding it open with one hand, he slide other hand down Sam's arm and grabbed hold of her hand, pulling it gently back up as he pulled firmly on the shirt material around her neck.

"How'd it going, Jack?" Daniel called from a few feet away.

"Daniel, has anyone ever told you have crappy timing!" Jack shouted as he concentrated on Sam, pulling her arm a little higher. Sam painfully gasped at the movement.

"Sorry, Carter," Jack said apologetically. "I know this must hurt."

"Just do it, sir," Sam hissed as her pain increased. Jack quickly snaked her hand through the arm hole. Sam jerked and cried out as he pulled her arm completely through.

"Hurt, hurt, hurt!" she hissed, as she bent her head down to hide the tears.

"Almost done," Jack said kindly as he took a step to the left and then backwards. With his arms resting _very_ lightly on her shoulders, Jack took a side step to the right and then another small step forward. He was now on her other side.

Sam knew he needed to do the whole thing again over here, but now that she knew how much it hurt on the one side, she really, _really_ didn't want it done on the other.

Jack was already reaching out, searching for Sam's other hand. Sam was still trying to compose herself and made no effort to help him. After several moments of light tapping of surfaces, Jack found Sam's wrist and reached down to take hold of her hand. It was noticeably shaking.

"We're nearly done, Carter," Jack said trying to reassure the Captain. "I know it hurts, but we need to do this one last time."

"I know," Sam whispered.

Sam flinched this time as Jack's hand crept up her arm. When he reached her shoulder and the bunched up t-shirt, Sam was beginning to hyperventilate in anticipation of the the pain to come.

"Slow it down Captain," Jack ordered. "Slow, controlled breathing, okay?" He breathed with her as she slowly got her emotions (and breathing) under control.

Sam felt the Colonel slide his hand back down her arm again and immediately held her breath in anticipation.

"Sam, you've got to breathe," Jack said again, feeling slightly exasperated at how frequently Carter seemed to forget that. At the same time as she let out another ragged breath, Jack immediately pulled her arm up and through the t-shirt and then yanked the whole thing down. Sam let out another loud scream, this one causing both Daniel and Teal'c to cringe at the unexpected suddenness.

"Done!" Jack said loudly, as Sam's scream dissolved into painful gasps and hiccups. "All done." He cautiously opened one eye just a fraction and spied the hem of the t-shirt safely across her stomach. Breathing a sigh of relief, he opened both eyes and looked at the shattered woman before him.

"All done, Sam," Jack said again softly as he reached over and placed his hand gently on her knee.

"Is it safe to turn around?" Daniel asked tentatively. Sam's eye flew open as she looked at the shirt now safely covering her body. She exhaled audibly and turned her head to face Colonel O'Neill.

"Thank you, sir." Jack gave her a small smile as he stood up.

"Anytime, Carter." He turned back towards Daniel and Teal'c. "All clear, boys!" Daniel immediately ran over to Sam.

"Are you okay?"

"I really wish people would stop asking me that," Sam grumbled. She gave Daniel a tight smile.

"I've been better, Daniel," she began, "but I'm now clothed and sitting and..." Sam licked her lips. "And thirsty." She looked at Daniel expectantly. "Can you help me up?"

"I dunno if that's..." He looked at Jack for instructions.

"It's okay, Daniel," Jack said. "If Carter wants to get up, help that lady up."

Daniel held out his hand and gently pulled Sam to her feet. Sam grunted with discomfort, but kept the cry that was just on the tip of her tongue to herself. As long as she didn't move much, her back pain was manageable. Throbbing, fiery pain, but manageable pain. Sam knew the Colonel would allow her additional meds as soon as he could. Sam did feel a little nauseous, but figured it was just due to the fact that she stood up so fast.

"Water?" Sam asked.

 _Jack motioned to Daniel to bring over the water. Sam took the canteen eagerly and began to drink in large gulps._

 _"Easy Captain," Jack said putting a hand on the canteen to prevent Sam from drinking any more. "We don't want you to..." his words were lost as Sam suddenly bent over, cried out at the movement, and then promptly threw up._

 _"get sick," Jack finished._

* * *

A/N Well? Like it? Hate it? Remember, the other one is the real chapter. This is just angsty fluff (er...can angst be categorized as fluff?) that I couldn't stop getting out of my head. I write because Muse insists, but I write _faster_ with reviews. :)


	8. Walk to the Gate

A/N - Thank you HEAPS for all the wonderful reviews. I am truly humbled by the number of folks reading this. Thank you!

 _Previously on Mongolian Blues_

 _"Easy Captain," Jack said putting a hand on the canteen to prevent Sam from drinking any more. "We don't want you to..." his words were lost as Sam suddenly bent over, cried out at the movement, and then promptly threw up._

 _"get sick," Jack finished._

Jack reacted instantly, dropping the canteen and taking a step forward. He wrapped one arm around Sam's hips, while pulling slightly with his free hand on the loose-fitting t-shirt in an attempt to keep it clean. Luckily, Sam hadn't eaten much the night before, so there was little to come up besides the water. Every dry heave was agony to Sam, but thankfully it was over in less than a minute. Jack could feel her body shudder and relax as the last spasm ended.

"I'm done," Sam whispered hoarsely. She hated that she had put all of them into this situation. She needed to show the Colonel and her team that she wasn't some weak-ass damsel in distress and just suck it up and get the hell home. _Then,_ maybe, she'd allow herself to feel a little self pity. Maybe.

"That's happened to the best of us, Carter," Jack said releasing his arms, while maintaining a close distance in case Sam wasn't too steady on her feet.

"Daniel, help me move Sam over to the log." With Jack on one side and Daniel on the other, the pair half carried, half led Sam to the impromptu 'chair' and lowered her down. Once seated, Sam began the odious task of moving her back from the slightly hunched over position to something more upright. She knew she was trembling, and hated how the Colonel felt the need to hover nearby as she painfully maneuvered her body into a more comfortable position.

"Well, that sucked." Sam's voice sounded far weaker than she would have liked.

"Sorry I didn't get the water away from you earlier, Carter," Jack said apologetically. "But on the plus side," he continued with a slight twinkle in his eye, "you usually only make that mistake once." Sam was feeling too miserable to roll her eyes, but recognized that the Colonel was probably right.

"Good to know, sir." Sam unconsciously wet her lips, and then chastised herself at how pathetic that must have looked. Damn. She was still very, very thirsty. She looked at Colonel O'Neill hopefully.

"I could really use a little more water sir." Sam hoped that didn't sound as desperate as she felt.

Jack looked at her critically, seeing the spots of high color across her forehead and cheeks. He knew she had a fever from her infected back and needed to stay hydrated, but repeated bouts of vomiting were only going to delay their return home. Sam's large blue eyes looked at him beseechingly. Although Jack _was_ making the decision out of concern for her fever (and not due to those eyes, dammit), he idly wondered how Carter's parents had dealt with those eyes.

"OK. But we're talking mere tablespoons, Carter, got it?" Jack motioned for Daniel to fetch a full canteen from their pile of gear a few feet away.

"Got it sir, thank you."

"Here you go Sam," Daniel said kindly, unscrewing the lid and passing the water to Sam. Sam eagerly accepted the prize and carefully raised it to her lips, grimacing only a little as she felt the familiar pull of her injuries against the bandages. It was odd, Sam mused. Somehow in the span of the last few minutes (or was it hours?), she seemed to have grown accustomed to the pain. Lifting the canteen to her lips had seemed insurmountable earlier, but now? It still hurt like god-awful-hell, but she could do it. Sam's logical mind told her it was probably because she had more medication in her system, but her kick-ass Air Force mind told her it was because she was just that much stronger.

Sam took two small sips, and although her body craved more, screwed the lid back on and handed it back to Daniel.

"Thanks." Three sets of eyes looked at Colonel O'Neill expectantly.

"Right!" Jack slapped his hands and pulled open the velcro covering his watch to check the time. It's 1350 right now. I estimate we have a 2-3 hour walk in front of us. He looked at Sam. "Captain, as soon as you feel up to it, we'll hit the road." Jack turned away from Sam, and made a shooing motion with his hands towards Daniel and Teal'c.

"Gear up, kids!"

While Teal'c and Daniel readied that rest of their things, Jack sat next to Sam on the log. He fished into his pocket and came up with two little packets of Tylenol, along with a protein bar. Sam wrinkled her nose at the bar. Food held little appeal right now, and those things were so damn dry.

"I see you like these about as much as I do," Jack joked lightly, as he opened up the package and broke off a small piece. Sam took the offered portion and grudgingly put it in her mouth. She knew the Tylenol had a better chance of staying down if she had something in her stomach, but that didn't mean she was going to like it. Sam chewed carefully for several moments before swallowing. To Jack, it looked like the face he always imagined he made when forced to consume cod liver oil.

"What were they thinking making an apple cinnamon flavor?" Sam made a face as she accepted the Colonel's offered water canteen. _Yippy! More water!_

"I know, right?" Jack said with an exaggerated shudder. "Not only does it taste like crap, but c'mon! We're Air Force! We fly plans! Kick Ass! We need macho flavors like...steak! Or better yet, beer!"

"Colonel!" Sam admonished, as she shook her head at the ideas and then bit back a moan at the motion. "We're trying to get my stomach to not react, remember?" Sam paused. "I suppose it does make sense though, sir. Bland flavors like vanilla and banana, and even..," Sam made a face, "apple cinnamon" are probably easier to digest than more exotic flavors." Sam took another small sip of the canteen before passing it back to the Colonel. Jack looked at her expectantly and after a few moments, Sam smiled.

"I think we're good, Colonel."

"Well that is just mighty fine to hear, Captain." Jack stood back up and glanced over at Daniel and Teal'c. Both had their jackets, vests and backpacks securely in place. Teal'c held his staff loosely at his side.

"You guys look like you're ready to go." Jack reached down to grab his own slightly over-stuffed pack and buckled it firmly in place.

"I believe we are all ready to take leave of this planet, O'Neill." _Amen to that brother, Jack thought._

Jack walked back over to Sam and held out a hand. "Ready to go home, Dorothy?"

"Looking forward to it sir," Sam replied with a slight grunt, as she was helped to her feet. Jack handed her the remaining P90 and was pleased to see that although Sam couldn't loop it across her shoulders, she was holding it perfectly poised for instant readiness.

The team began to move forward, with Teal'c taking point, followed by Daniel and then Jack and Sam in the rear. They moved quite slowly at first as Sam got used to the movement. Each step was agony on her back, but after a few minutes, her body adapted and the predictable cadence helped. Each step became easier as her torn skin grew accustomed to the movement and although it by no means felt _good,_ it also wasn't excruciatingly painful.

Jack allowed Sam several minutes of silence as her battered body adapted to walking. He watched as a myriad of emotions and expressions crossed her face. First came the deep, pain-filled furrows across her face and grimaces with each step. After a minute or two Sam audibly exhaled and her face relaxed. She straightened her back ever so slightly as if realizing she now could. Her breathing evened out, and Jack watched in fascination as her eyes left the security of looking at her feet and began to look ahead, glancing from side to side as she took in her environment. Jack smiled. Good. He knew this no way mitigated the significant damage to her back, but he was damn proud of his Captain for reaching deep and compensating. Jack had been a little concerned that they would have to build a litter to carry Carter home. Not that he wouldn't hesitate in a minute to do so, but this was much easier. And faster. Jack glanced at his watch. 90 more minutes. Tops.

* * *

Jack O'Neill did not have telepathy.

He knew this because all of his attempts to silently get Daniel's attention had failed. If he could telegraph his thoughts to Daniel, the archaeologist would have heard Jack's loud S.O.S. and Turn. The. Hell. Around! It was nearly 15 minutes before Daniel glanced casually over his shoulder. At once, he realized how far behind Jack and Sam had gotten and called on Teal'c to stop. Jack couldn't hear the words shared between the two, but they had stopped moving. Good.

It was about freakin' time.

After finding her stride, Sam had done great and for nearly an hour SG-1 had moved at a slow, but steady pace towards the Stargate. It was shortly after the one hour mark, that Jack began to notice her falter. Sam's steps started to lose their regular cadence, and he could see tiny tremors of fatigue across her arms and shoulders. Sam hadn't said a word in nearly 15 minutes, and Jack was missing their idle conversations. Who knew Carter liked the Simpson's Halloween specials? But that had been nearly a half hour ago, and now her breathing was hitched and Sam was back to staring at her boots again. She needed to rest, and Jack was glad to see Daniel and Teal'c had already stopped up ahead. Jack spied a rocky area that might make a good resting area, and led Carter a few feet closer.

"Let's take 5," Jack called out in a clear voice, jarring Sam out of her thoughts. She immediately looked up, hoping for a brief moment that they were at the Stargate. No such luck.

"Sir, you don't have to stop on the count of me..." Sam began.

"Captain," Jack interrupted. "Not everything is about _you._ I've gotta pee." Sam blushed and mumbled an apology. Jack felt a little bit bad about lying to her. He supposed he _could_ take a pee if there was time...

"Hey, guys!" Daniel called from about 50 feet away. He started to take a step towards them, but Jack shook his head ever so slightly.

"All right kids," Jack began. "Eat if you're hungry, drink if you're thirsty and water your favorite tree if you are so inclined, we move again in five minutes." He casually walked over to a large stone on the side of the path and dropped his pack.

"Carter, why don't you take a load off for a few minutes," Jack suggested, as he took the P90 from Sam's hands and helped her to sit. She hands were ice cold. "I'll be back, in a few." He flashed her a reassuring smile and walked off towards Teal'c and Daniel. Sam was just unfocused enough that Jack didn't think she'd catch that he was walking away from the tree line and not towards it. In less than a minute he met up with Daniel and Teal'c.

"How's she doing, Jack?" Daniel asked worriedly, as he glanced at Captain Carter.

"She's hurting, her fever has increased and I honestly don't know how much more she has in her." Jack sighed as she took off his sunglasses and adjusted the straps. "Teal'c, how far from the Gate do you think we are?"

"According to Captain Carter's instruments, we are approximately 4 kilometers away, O'Neill." Four clicks. Two and half miles. So close. If this were basic training, they could be there in under 30 minutes.

"Okay," Jack began. "Carter can't safely hold her gun any more. Daniel, I'm giving it to you..." Jack held in out, and before Daniel could object, placed it in his hands. "I know you don't like them, but I need you to carry it for Sam, okay? I don't expect you to shoot it."

"Of course, Jack." Daniel gripped the uncomfortable weapon firmly. He doubted he'd ever get used to all the armament that came with working with the Air Force.

"Teal'c, I hope to hell it doesn't come to this, but _if_ Carter collapses, can you carry her the remaining distance?"

Teal'c bent his head in agreement. "Of course, O'Neill."

"All right then," said Jack, putting his sunglasses back on. "Let's bring Carter home."

Sam knew the guys were talking about her, but was in too much pain to really care. She knew she was slowing them down. She also knew, logically, that this wasn't her fault. But logic had fled with each agonizing step, and at this point Sam was almost... _almost_ willing to be carried back through the Stargate on a stretcher, or hell, piggy back style on Teal'c's back. She nearly giggle aloud at the image.

"Carter," Jack asked worriedly. "You okay?"

"Just peachy, sir," Sam said, looking her CO straight in the eye.

"I'm sorry Carter, but I'd like to take a quick peek at your back before we leave," Jack said apologetically.

"Are you asking my permission, sir?" Sam paused as she sucked in a breath. "Because if I have a choice in the matter, I'd really prefer if you didn't."

"Colonel's privilege, I'm afraid, Carter. I just need to make sure there's no heavy bleeding." Jack moved behind Sam and gently pulled up the hem of the shirt, exposing half of her lower back. Sam bit down hard on her lower lip hard to keep silent. She drew blood and quickly sucked it away. Jack noticed the very obvious twitch of her back and how still Sam had become. He wished like hell they had some stronger drugs for her.

Jack quickly scanned her back for problems areas and was thankful there was little to be found. Although a few bandages showed spots of blood and obvious seepage, it wasn't significant enough to require a field dressing change. Jack lowered her shirt back in place.

"Looks fine." Jack moved to her front again and saw the pain deeply etched on her face. He also noticed a fat bead of blood on her lip where she had obviously bitten it. Once again Jack was filled with quiet admiration at the young Captain. He honestly didn't think he would have done any better. "You ready to move?"

"Yes, sir." Sam forced herself to look into the Colonel's eyes. She knew she was going to see deep concern in those brown eyes of his. Man, how had his parents handled such eyes?

Jack held out his hand, and Sam took it gratefully. "Only two more miles, Sam."

Two more miles. She could do this, right?

* * *

It was a full hour later when they rounded a bend in the path and the Stargate sprang into view. Jack let out a deep sigh; they'd made it. He glanced over at Sam, not surprised to see her eyes staring at the ground in front of her. He was pretty certain she wasn't really focusing much on anything at this point.

"Carter, we've made it," Jack said softly. Sam continued to walk slowly forward. "Carter!" Jack repeated in a louder voice. Sam stopped and looked up. Her eyes were brilliant blue with fever.

"Stargate," Sam whispered.

"The one and only," Jack joked lightly. "Let's get you home." Sam offered little resistance as Jack assisted her down a small hill. He was certain that if she fell at this point, she'd stay down. Daniel had already started dialing the symbols for earth. With a familiar 'whoosh' the gate sprang to life. Daniel entered SG-1's code and then turned to face Sam and Jack.

"We're clear to go through."

"Let's go home," Jack repeated. "T, you've got our sixes?" Teal'c bent his head in acquiescence.

With Jack on one side, and Daniel on the other, the three human members of SG-1 stepped through the event horizon.

* * *

A/N - I _cannot_ believe it took nearly 20,000 words to get them home. I swear, this was a far shorter story in my head... I have to be honest here. I actually envisioned one more scene between the two mile mark and going through the Stargate, but at this point I just want to get them the heck HOME (and I want to post now before I need to help my son with homework). I hope you are still finding the story entertaining! I promise to post the next chapter tomorrow. **rubs hands gleefully**

A/N 2 - I moved this bit to the end! Read on if you'd like a little more explanation about the two version behind chapter 6. I _completely_ agree with the majority that the first Chapter 6 version was better. That's why it got top billing! The alternative version just seemed a bit _too_ contrived. It actually started with that little scene I wrote with Daniel saying, "Not it" (heh, glad you liked it, taurigirl1) but totally took on a life of it's own. Like Kate and ASpecialKindOf, I don't think our SG-1 hotties would be too hung up if they saw Sam's breasts. And although boobs (especially those belonging to 20-somethings) can pretty much turn (usually 20-something guys) into puddles of awestruck mush, after a bit of maturity (not to mention babies), that region of the body just isn't quite so ...exotic. *Ahem*

Now, having _said_ that, in this story, SG-1 has been together for only a month or two. Everyone is still getting to know one another, and while I'm certain by the third or fourth year (season) each and every member of SG-1 has probably flashed pieces of themselves to everyone, it's all shiny new at this point. There would be some awkwardness if they were overly exposed for more than a few moments. And Sam is what? 29? Which means she's got a super hot body that hasn't had.. shall we say _gravity_ issues yet. But that's just background stuff. The reality is that in my story, her back is seriously messed up and Jack knows it. Which means lifting her hands over her head is next to impossible and would hurt like bloody hell. I kinda think Sam would have figured out a way to do it, despite the pain, but in my story, she's just too injured. Which means Jack's solution (in v1) rectified the issue as fast as possible in the least painful way _while_ allowing Sam to retain her modesty. Win-win. And it made for some fun story telling!


	9. Back at the SGC

Sam's first thought as her feet touched the familiar metal landing was how nice it felt going through a wormhole with a fever. She estimated that her temperature had dropped by at least two degrees. She made an idle note to talk to one of the scientists about this later.

"Carter," Jack asked, placing a hand lightly on her hip instead of her back, "you okay?" He could see that she was still looking unfocused.

"Fine, Sir." In typical Sam Carter fashion, this meant she was either really okay or just moments away from passing out.

Before Jack could ask a follow up question, a booming voice called out, "Welcome home, SG-1!" General George Hammond was waiting for them at the base of the ramp. He liked to personally welcome home each off-world team whenever possible.

"Good to be back, Sir!" Jack replied with a forced joviality he didn't exactly feel. He turned briefly towards Sam, and Daniel gave him a small nod as if to say 'I have her'. Jack turned back towards the General and began walking down the ramp.

General Hammond watched as Dr. Jackson and Captain Carter slowly followed Jack down, with Teal'c behind them, eyes focused on Captain Carter. George frowned. He could clearly see something was off with the young Captain, but it was only after all four were standing in front of him that it became clear that something wasn't just 'off', but rather terribly wrong. He had known Sam Carter nearly her entire life and her intelligence and wit had always radiated from her in everything she did. Except it didn't. Not today.

Sam stood uncomfortably in front of General Hammond as his eyes grazed over her worriedly. He took in her flushed face and ill-fitting t-shirt. He immediately saw she wasn't carrying her backpack - or her weapon. George glanced to his left and was grateful to see it was secure in Dr. Jackson's hands. His frown deepened. Daniel never carried a P90. He was pretty sure Daniel wasn't _authorized_ to carry a P90.

"Colonel...?" Hammond began, looking at his second in command for an explanation.

"We ran into a bit of trouble off-world, General," Jack began. "I'd love to tell you all about it, but right now Captain Carter needs to visit the infirmary." Sam wanted to insist she was fine and could wait until after the briefing, but that of course was a lie. The euphoria of having made it home was rapidly fading, and Sam felt like she might fall over at any moment. She really would rather not do that in the gate room.

"Of course," Hammond said, looking worriedly again at the feverish Captain. "Captain, you are dismissed."

"Thank you, sir." Sam hoped her voice sounded stronger than it felt. Focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, she began to move towards the doorway. She hadn't gotten very far before three voices rang out at once:

"Sam, would you like some help?"

"Carter, you need any help?"

"Captain Carter, do you require assistance?"

Sam sighed softly, as she turned to face her team, eyes shimmering with unshed tears at their concern. "Thanks guys," Sam said softly, "but I know the way. I'll see you later, okay?" Unable to face their worried faces any longer, Sam turned back around and carefully walked out of the gate room.

If General Hammond was concerned before, he was doubly so now. What in the hell had happened to Samantha Carter on that mission!

"Go get cleaned up, SG-1 and then report to medical for your post mission physicals," Hammond ordered. "Debriefing in 30." He watched as the men of SG-1 unbuckled straps and handed over their weapons to the awaiting security team.

"Colonel, a word..?" Jack frowned slightly, as he turned back towards General Hammond. Not that he was particularly surprised, what with all of SG-1 pretty much wearing their hearts on their sleeves with Carter a few moments ago. Jack sighed and took off his cap. All he wanted to do was follow Carter to the Infirmary and make sure she was taken care of.

"Yes, sir?"

"Jack, obviously something happened to Captain Carter," General Hammond said without preamble. "I'd appreciate a brief recap of events prior to the debriefing." He indicated that they should have this conversation in his office.

"Of course, sir." Jack really hoped they could keep this conversation brief. He needed to check on Carter.

* * *

The elevator doors to Level 21 opened and Sam existed, moving on auto pilot towards the main medical bay. She stopped just outside the open doorway. Now that she was here, she wasn't entirely sure how to start the conversation. Somehow, "Hi, I just returned from off world and ran into a spot of bother," wasn't going to cut it.

"Why hello, there!" Sam was shaken out of her musings by a chipper voice that she did not recognize. Almost immediately the voice changed to one of concern.

"Captain, are you all right?" Sam could only shake her head, as she allowed herself to be led into the medical bay proper.

Dr. Janet Frasier frowned, as she visually examined the young Captain's physical appearance. Janet knew that this must be Captain Samantha Carter, although they hadn't had the chance to meet before now. There weren't a lot of female officers at the SGC, so Janet had done her homework after she accepted the post and knew by name each woman on the base. She knew that Captain Carter was on SG-1 and they were due to return today.

"Captain Carter, I presume?" Janet asked softly, as she guided Sam to an examining area. Sam looked up slightly startled.

"Yes," Sam replied, looking at Janet for the first time, recognition quickly dawning. "You must be our new CMO."

"I am indeed," Janet replied with a smile. "Dr. Janet Frasier."

"Samantha Carter," Sam said with a small smile in return. "My friends call me Sam."

"So Sam," Janet said, motioning for the Captain to sit down, "how are you feeling?" Janet had already diagnosed half a dozen concerns. She could see that Sam had an obvious fever and although her hands were grasped firmly together, Janet could tell they were shaking. Sam had a large developing bruise on the right side of her face, and her eyes didn't appear to be fully tracking her environment. Overall, her movements were sluggish and appeared painful. It concerned Janet that she couldn't see the source for any of this (outside of the bruise) and needed to get Sam into a gown ASAP. Thinking about clothing made Janet aware that Sam also didn't seem to be wearing her own t-shirt. That surely could not be good.

"I've been better," Sam replied honestly, as she bit her lip in an attempt to control her emotions. She had made it. She was here! So why couldn't she just relax and ask for help?

"Why don't you hop up on the bed, and we'll check you out, okay?" Janet said kindly. Sam glanced at the bed, situated 3 feet off the ground and slowly shook her head as her eyes filled with tears.

"Captain?" Dr. Frasier asked, reaching out an arm in concern.

"I can't, " Sam whispered as her shoulders began to shake.

* * *

"You left her _alone?"_ Hammond shouted, causing Jack to wince. Not that he didn't think he deserved his Commanding Officer's fury, but did he have to shout quite so loud?

"It was a mistake, Sir. And one I hold myself responsible for," Jack said bitterly. "But General," he continued "You gotta understand, at this point there was absolutely no indication of danger. The Shavadai were a patriarchal people, so we... _I_ figured Carter could just hang back with the ladies while the rest of us checked out trade opportunities. " Jack paused as he felt Hammond's anger radiating off of him like a physical blow.

"General," Jack continued, finding his voice. "It was a very unusual situation, and Carter would most certainly not have been harmed in any way if this kid, Abu, hadn't felt like she was the only way to help his girlfriend." Jack took a quick breath and continued.

"In their society, 'exotic' women are treated like commodities. Carter was kidnapped, so that she could be used to buy the freedom of a 16 year old girl." Jack paused, as he saw understanding skirt across General Hammond's face. "See, this girl's _father,"_ Jack spat out the word with obvious hatred, "was about to trade her to some chieftain three times her age, and this poor Abu kid just wanted to stop it."

"He loved her sir," Jack said with a shrug.

"That still doesn't explain what happened to Captain Carter." Jack sighed and continued, choosing his words with care.

"Carter did not appreciate being used as trader fodder, and tried to escape."

"But she was caught..." Hammond said, filling in the blanks.

"Yep. And beaten." Hammond looked at Jack expectantly.

"Was that all?" It was said in a quiet voice, but both men knew what was being asked.

"Thank God, yes." Hammond gave a curt nod and let Jack continue.

"The beating...the _whipping_ was bad, General," Jack explained. "And because of this super ointement of theirs, Carter didn't actually realize how bad it was until 24 hours later." Hammond blanched at the news.

"24 hours?" Jack nodded. He knew he needed to explain everything that had happened in that 24 hours, but he really hoped he could do that later. He needed to check on Carter, _now._

"There was infection."

General Hammond had heard enough. Although he needed a more detailed accounting, now wasn't the time. He nodded towards his CO.

"Go check on your people, Colonel." Jack gave a thankful nod and immediately stood up to leave.

"I expect to see you back here in 25 minutes for a fuller accounting, Colonel."

"Of course, sir. Thank you, sir." And with that Jack, left.

* * *

Jack didn't _run_ through the halls of the SGC, but he did walk quite briskly. He punched the up button for the elevator and bounced manically from his heels to the balls of his feet waiting for it to arrive. Before the doors were even fully opened, he leapt inside and stabbed the button for Level 21. The seven flights up seemed to take forever. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Jack raced around the corner and nearly ran straight into the diminutive new head doctor.

"Colonel O'Neill!" Janet Frasier said in surprise. "I was just going to call you..."

"Is Carter here?" Jack asked without preamble.

"Yes," Janet said frowning, "Captain Carter arrived about 5 minutes ago. I just finished sending down a couple of orderlies to assist her into a gown..."

"Did she tell you what happened," Jack interrupted before Janet could finish.

"Not in so many words," Janet began, "but I can see has a fever and there is obviously something wrong. I promise you we'll take good care of her..."

"Doc," Jack said looking Janet straight in the eye. "I know you don't know me that well, but believe me when I tell you that you need to go back to Sam _right now_ and give her some of the strongest pain medication you've got. Her last dose of four extra strength Tylenol was almost three hours ago and I know it did very little for her pain. She needs morphine or oxycodone or..."

"Colonel O'Neill!" Janet said sharply. "You are not a medical doctor, and I will not have you telling me how to treat my patients!"

"You don't understand, Doc!" Jack was frustrated at his inability to make her understand. "Sam was beaten." He looked at Janet with worried brown eyes. "Very, _very_ bad."

In an instant, Janet recalled Sam's demeanor and her inability to get on the examination table. Janet's only instructions to the orderlies were to help Sam with her clothing. What if...Janet immediately turned away from O'Neill and began to head back to the examining room. Jack followed.

They were less than 20 feet away when Sam's scream shattered the air.

"OhmygodI'msorry," an orderly stammered, as he supported the now unconscious Captain Samantha Carter with an arm wrapped around her waist and another splayed across her back.

"Don't touch her back!" Jack shouted angrily, as he shoved the orderly out of the way, and took hold of Sam under the neck and knees. With great care, he lifted her up to the bed and with the help of Dr. Frasier, placed Sam on her side. Jack was furious that this could happen. They had made it back, dammit. Carter was supposed to be drugged to the gills and taken care of!

Janet felt sick to her stomach. Her first day of work and _this_ happened? Colonel O'Neill looked beside himself, and Janet didn't fault him in the slightest. She had messed up. She needed to fix it.

"You didn't know, Lawrence," Janet said briskly to the orderly. "We'll talk about this later, okay?" She turned to a young nurse and ordered her to start an IV on Captain Carter. "And check her chart," Janet ordered. "I don't believe she has any allergies, but we need to make sure." Janet turned back towards Jack.

"Her back, you said?" Jack nodded. Janet motioned him forward another foot and then drew the privacy curtain around them and with Jack's help, rolled Sam over to her front.

"What am I going to see?" Janet asked briskly, as she cut away Sam's t-shirt.

"Seven deep lacerations," Jack began. "She was repeatedly flogged with a tasseled whip." Janet blanched at the information, but continued working. "I cleaned them up best I could and applied antibiotic cream over the bandages, but there's already infection." Janet nodded as she pulled the shirt apart and began to work on removing the gauze bandages. The nurse finished inserting the IV just as Janet removed the first bandage. She sucked in a breath as she took in the damage inflicted upon the poor Captain. The small areas of seepage that Jack had seen earlier had increased. An area right below her right shoulder blade was sodden with blood, while another area closer to the center of her back oozed thick discolored pus.

"No allergies, ma'am," a nurse called out from a nearby computer. Janet nodded absently in thanks.

"You were right, Colonel O'Neill," Janet said softly. "The very first thing Captain Carter should have received is pain medication. We'll give that too her right now. " While they had been talking, another nurse had wheeled a medical tray beside them. With a quick glance, Janet selected a needle and a vial of morphine. She carefully measured out a dose and administered it directly into Sam's IV. She then picked up a second vial and injected broad spectrum antibiotics. It was a start.

Jack watched darkly, as Janet began removing all of his hastily applied bandages. He didn't think Sam's back could look any worse than it did three hours ago, but he was wrong.

Janet looked up from her ministrations, having momentarily forgotten that O'Neill was still there.

"She'll be out the entire time I work on her back, Colonel," Janet said quietly. "Why don't you take a shower and then come back with Teal'c and Dr. Jackson for your post mission physicals? I promise to keep you apprised if anything changes here."

With one final look at Sam, Jack stood up and left.

* * *

A/N Poor Sam! But I promise, that's _it_ for (major) Sam whumping. It's happy juice and blue jello for the good astrophysicist from here on out. :) I know I've spoiled y'all rotten with nearly daily updates, but I'm afraid frequency is going to be reduced as I focus on R/L for a bit. It's kinda appalling how much I've let slip in the past week as I rediscovered fanfic writing. I also have a job interview coming up (a lunch interview, what's with _that?)_ and I really want to impress these folks. I sure miss the days when all you had to do to get a new job was fill out a form.

I can't promise I'll post faster if you review, but it sure makes me _want to!_


	10. Damage Assessment

Thank you for all the kind wishes on the job interview! It went well and I have a third (and hopefully final) interview this Friday. Now as for this chapter...it went swiftly from 2000 odd words to 4k+ as I added in the details of the mission during the debrief. _Please_ let me know if you think it's too much. It wasn't my intention to write it with such detail...it just happened. I know several of you have been waiting for this one, so I hope the chapter doesn't disappoint. Thanks, Lynette for the cliche warning! Removed. *Ahem*

* * *

Jack walked into the locker room still wrapped in his dark mood. He knew now that Dr. Frasier had actually _noticed_ Sam's injuries, she would take good care of her, but it would be sometime before Jack really trusted the Doc. Logically, he knew she was an excellent doctor. Both he and Hammond had reviewed dozens of dockets, and personally interviewed several before deciding on her. Frasier came highly recommended, and Jack remembered being impressed with her after their first meeting. He _knew_ she would be a great addition to the SGC. But right now, all he could see was her failure to help Sam.

"O'Neill."

"Hey Teal'c." Jack nodded towards the Jaffa. "Still lightning fast at showering, I see."

"I need only bathe long enough to cleanse my body, O'Neill."

"And you don't have to worry about washing your hair," Jack added with a smirk.

"Indeed." Jack couldn't say for sure, but he thought he saw a faint smile. Jack was looking forward to taking Teal'c off base one day. There was a whole lot of crazy, wonderful Earth experiences to enjoy. Idly, he wondered how Teal'c felt about hats.

"Jack!" Daniel exited the steamy shower area with a towel slung low around his waist and his hair sticking up in multiple directions. Not for the first time, Jack wondered how much trouble he'd be in if he _accidently_ cut Jackson's hair the next time they were off world. It was just too... _floppy._ He could blame it on alien ninjas or something...

"How's Dr. Carter?" Daniel asked immediately, as he opened his locker and took out some clean clothes. Jack sat down on a bench facing away from Daniel and filled them in on what had happened while he slowly undressed.

Daniel had just finished pulling on his pants when he spun around to face Jack. "The new Doctor did _what?"_ Gone was sensitive and concerned Daniel and in his place was pissed-as-hell Daniel. Jack remembered this guy. He didn't come out very often, but when he did, it was definitely a sight to behold. It's also the reason why Jack had allowed Daniel to remain on SG-1 after the first mission back to Abydos. Daniel might play, hell, _be_ the bumbling archaeologist much of the time, but he was so damn handy to have around with all his cultural knowledge. And when the shit hit the fan, Daniel reacted exactly like Jack needed him to.

Almost always.

Jack felt a wave of affection wash over him as he held up his hands in defence. "Hey, hey! Messenger here!"

Daniel sighed as he sat down heavily on the bench and started pulling on socks. "But Sam is going to be okay now, right?"

"Physically, she's in Doc Frasier's hands," Jack began, tamping down on the anger that he felt. "But you can be sure as hell, we'll be there too." Jack finished undressing and with a towel wrapped around his waist, grabbed his shampoo and soap. "You guys go get cleared by Medical. I'll meet you in Hammond's office in 15."

* * *

Janet was appalled. Appalled at the way she had failed Captain Carter, and appalled at the level of damage inflicted on the poor woman's back. The mottled dark blue and purple bruising stood out starkly against the Captain's pale skin. The bruising was deep, and Janet made a note to order additional tests to ensure there wasn't any internal damage. The... _flogging_ had ripped through Captain Carter's skin like tissue paper, easily separating the upper epidermis from the second skin level, the dermis. In several places, the blows had overlapped, causing subcutaneous tissue damage. Janet frowned as she irrigated a particularly nasty laceration with saline and then injected more lidocaine and epinephrine along the edge. Working carefully, Janet gently pulled the tender tissue under the dermis together with four absorbable sutures. Changing tools, she used a different needle and thread to stitch together the upper layers of the skin, thankful that she wouldn't need to do this on all of the lacerations.

Janet was so absorbed in her work that she didn't initially hear them enter. It was only after Dr. Jackson (Janet presumed) insisted on talking to 'Dr. Janet Frasier' that Janet realized she should probably brief the two worried men personally.

"Katherine," Janet called softly to an awaiting nurse. "Can you finish cleaning these two lacerations across Captain Carter's lower back and apply a light dressing?" Janet removed her gloves and took a deep breath as she prepared to face the righteous anger and concern of two worried teammates. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Dr. Jackson and Teal'c I presume?" Janet said with a small smile as she walked purposefully towards the two men. They were both seated on adjacent beds, Daniel with a blood pressure cuff on his right arm, and Teal'c with a thermometer in his mouth. Janet was glad she had seen a photo of Teal'c before meeting him. The man was intimidating! She was proud of the way her eyes only paused for a brief moment on the golden tattoo on his forehead.

"Dr. Frasier," Daniel said, trying to not show his anger. "How's Sam?"

"Captain Carter is still unconscious..." Janet held up a hand before Daniel could interrupt. "She is also heavily medicated. I do not expect her to wake before morning."

"Heavily medicated..?" Daniel asked uncertainly.

"With the 'good stuff' Dr. Jackson," Janet said with a reassuring smile. "I promise you, she is not in any pain." Janet watched as Daniel's shoulders visibly lowered in relief.

"Will she be okay?" Janet translated the question into 'Will she fully recover'?

"It's still too early to say, Dr. Jackson," Janet began, "but we are giving Captain Carter very powerful antibiotics to fight infection. While it is true that some of her...lacerations are deep, she should make a full recovery."

"May we see Captain Carter?" The large ex-Jaffa warrior asked Janet. Janet was surprised by the level of concern she heard in his deep voice.

"I'm afraid not," Janet said apologetically. "Captain Carter is still being treated, and as I mentioned, unconscious. She would not even know you're there."

"It's not for Carter, Doc," a new voice said from the doorway.

"Colonel O'Neill," Janet said surprised. "I didn't expect you back so fast." Jack shrugged. He could give Teal'c a run for his money on showering efficiency.

"It's been a rough mission, Doc," Jack said in explanation. "We'd kinda like to see for ourselves that Sam is being taken care of."

The colonel didn't particularly stress _taken care of_ , but the implication was there. Seeing how Janet had let both Captain Carter and the colonel down earlier, the least she could do is give the men of SG-1 a few moments with the captain.

"Finish your post-mission physicals, and I'll allow you a minute," Janet said finally. She quickly turned on her heels and headed back towards Captain Carter.

Janet had just finished bandaging Sam's back when a nurse informed her that SG-1 was done with their medical check-ins. Janet glanced at her watch and saw they had a little over 5 minutes remaining before General Hammond expected all of them in the debriefing room. Janet hurried out of Intensive Care and into the main medical bay. Jack immediately caught her eye and stood up .

"You ready for us?" Instantly, Daniel and Teal'c were on their feet as well, looking at the diminutive doctor expectantly.

"Only a minute," Janet reminded them, as she led the trio into a dimly lit room.

It was eerily quiet in the room, with the only noise coming from the soft whirr and beeps of medical equipment. Sam lay peacefully on her stomach, with her arms loosely at her side and only the edges of pristine white bandages visible under a light blanket. Multiple wires could be seen snaking out from under her chest, but her face appeared relaxed and devoid of pain. For this, Jack was very, very thankful.

"So doing okay, then?" Janet nodded.

"Doing okay, sir." Janet looked like she was about to say something else when the phone rang. A nurse answered, listened for a few moments and then replied with a brief, "Yes, sir. I'll tell them" before hanging up. Four sets of eyes looked at the nurse expectantly.

"General Hammond is ready for you."

* * *

Janet went first.

"Captain Carter is responding positively to treatment General," Janet said without preamble. "She is still unconscious, but at this point, it's medically induced. We have repaired the damage to her back and are closely monitoring her vitals in order to keep on top of infection and ensure we properly manage her pain." Janet paused as she shuffled the papers in front of her.

"Sir," Janet began. "I must let you know that when Captain Carter came to me..."

"Carter is going to be fine, sir," Jack said interrupting, before Janet could fall on her own sword. As much as he was still royally pissed that Frasier hadn't caught the extent of Sam's injuries the moment she walked through the door, Carter had shown a remarkable ability to both withhold information _and_ mask fairly excruciating pain. Obviously, Sam needed a refresher course in the importance of keeping others apprised of medical conditions received in the field. During the walk back to the gate, Jack had oscillated between acute worry for his Captain and anger that she hadn't been more forthright with him. He had mentally dressed her down several times in his head and was very thankful he'd have the opportunity to do it in person at a later date.

"In that case, Colonel," Hammond said, snapping Jack back to the present. "Why don't you tell me _exactly_ what happened."

"It's my fault, General Hammond...," Daniel began, as he prepared to accept full responsibility for advising Dr. Carter to dress like a local woman. That's really how it all began.

"Oh for crying out loud, Daniel!" Jack interrupted, turning towards the concerned younger man.

"First, the General was asking _me_ for the information. I'm the Colonel, remember? My team, my debrief. Second, it was _not_ even remotely your fault, so don't you _dare_ try to take the blame on this!" Jack was getting angrier by the moment.

"But..."

"Dr. Jackson," Hammond interrupted before Jack had an aneurism. "I will of course want to hear your input as well, but Colonel O'Neill will be leading this debriefing." Daniel looked like he wanted to argue, but very few people argued with General George Hammond, and he was not on that incredibly short list.

"Sorry, General." Daniel looked both apologetic and guilty.

"As I was about to say," Jack continued, shooting Daniel death rays with his eyes, "we arrived on P2X..." Jack paused as he tried to remember the planet designation. Normally, he'd turn to Carter for help, and Jack's shoulders slouched slightly as he remembered where she was.

"219." Daniel saw the momentary flash of something in Jack's eyes and immediately filled in the missing number. "P2X-219." Jack gave a slight nod of thanks and continued.

"We arrived on P2X-219 and were almost immediately greeted by the sounds of wild dogs. They were chasing this kid, maybe 16 or 17 years old. We scared off the dogs and the kid introduced himself. Said his name was Abu and that he was 'of the Shavadai'.

"Jack, you remembered!" Daniel blurted out.

"Doctor Jackson!"

"Sorry, General."

"Anyhow," Jack continued (again), "Daniel does his whole 'we come in peace' thing and introduces us. The kid was seriously freaked out by the fact Carter was a woman. Before we could work out exactly what that was all about, several other guys on horseback come galloping towards us." Jack paused and looked the General in the eye. "Here's where I made the first mistake."

"We," Daniel muttered under his breath. " _We_ made the first mistake." Hammond didn't chastise Jackson this time for the comment.

"Continue, Colonel."

"Abu was a bit panicked when he caught sight of who was on the horses. He urged us to 'take the girl and go'." Jack remembered the scene with technicolor clarity. "Daniel worked out that the folks were of Mongol descent and again they notice that Carter is a woman. One of the surly looking guys immediately gets off his horse and makes a beeline towards Carter." Jack looked at Daniel.

"That's when Daniel stepped up and said we'd leave. He said we'd take Carter and go." Jack scrubbed a hand across his hair in frustration as he recalled roads not taken.

"I take it you didn't leave, Colonel."

"No, sir." Jack fidgeted slightly and looked at General Hammond with sad eyes. "I wish like hell we had, but we didn't."

"Now Abu's father showed up, and as he was the leader of these people, he pretty much told everyone to stand down. Said we were guests and not to be harmed. He invited us back to his camp."

"Sam didn't want to go," Daniel said quietly. "She thought it might be better if we head home."

"Carter had reservations sir," Jack continued, "But as Moughal, that's the name of the tribe's leader, guaranteed us safety, I concluded that it would be okay for us to check out their village." Hammond nodded.

"As it turned out, there was something to be gained from visiting. Daniel had kittens over a people that appeared to have stepped out of Mongol town circa 900 AD, and Earth got a sample of some nifty magic cream that apparently has some really powerful anesthetic properties." Hammond shot a puzzled look at Dr. Frasier.

"We haven't had a chance to test the sample yet, General." Hammond motioned Jack to continue.

"We saw it applied to a guy with a badly burned shoulder. He should have been in excruciating pain, but wasn't." Jack exhaled and shrugged. "I sure hope that stuff is worth the cost of bringing it back."

"What happened next, Colonel?"

"We learned a bit more about their culture and how women were generally separated from the men. Carter was apparently making folks uncomfortable in her 'men's clothing', so while she received a makeover from the ladies, Daniel, Teal'c and I got a tour of the village from the men. We checked in with Carter after she changed, and everything was fine." Jack felt a ghost of a smile pass his lips as he remembered Sam's discomfort at wearing such a... costume.

"In order to keep folks happy, Carter agreed to hang out in the women's tent while the rest of us played diplomat around a campfire." Jack fiddled with a pen for a moment before continuing. "We were with friendlies, General," Jack explained. "So while it did seem a little unusual for Carter to remain on her own, she was just a couple of hundred feet away and as we were allowed to keep our weapons, I figured it would be okay. My spidey sense was not red flagging it at all." Jack looked at Hammond with haunted eyes.

"I was wrong."

"General," Daniel said interrupting. "If I may continue? I actually was the first one in the tent the next morning." Hammond gave a nod of agreement.

"The next day, we were ready to leave and head back to the Stargate with the sample. I headed over to Dr. Carter's tent to get her... and that's when I discovered she was gone. There had been some kind of...struggle and Sam was gone. "

"Her weapons were accounted for," Jack said picking up the thread. "Just no Carter."

"Captain Carter filled me in a bit on this part, General, but you should probably hear it from her when she's feeling better." Jack paused and waited for Hammond to nod.

"Abu kidnapped Carter to be used as trade for the freedom of a girl he loved."

"Nya," Daniel added.

"Nya was the 16 year old daughter of a real sadistic SOB leader from a neighboring tribe. She was about to be traded to some desert warlord in marriage and the kid was kinda desperate to stop it." Jack paused and took a sip of water.

"In their society, 'exotic' women are highly valued and Abu hoped by trading Carter, he could 'buy' Nya's freedom. Unfortunately, the deal didn't go as planned. Turghan wouldn't release his daughter, and Abu wasn't allowed to leave with Carter. Seemed he was taken with the whole blonde hair blue eyed thing." Jack lowered his voice, visibly distressed at what had happened next.

"Abu left, and Sam remained behind. Carter said the guy wasn't particularly enamored when she talked back to him. That's when she got the bruise on her cheek." Jack once again fiddled with the pen in front of him.

"What were you doing to find her, Colonel?"

"With Mougal's help, we spent most of the day tracking them. Unfortunately, we didn't find Carter until late afternoon."

"But you found her, son. That's what matters."

"But we got to her _after_ she was punished for trying to escape." Jack practically spit the word 'punished' out. Now they had reached the part of the mission where everything went completely off the rails, Jack was finding it hard to maintain his objectivity. Ah, who was he kidding? He wasn't objective and he knew it.

"But we did get to Sam _before_ she was raped, Jack." Leave it to Daniel to not mince words.

"We did." Jack agreed, with a sigh. He reminded himself that this was a very important piece to remember. They had gotten there before Sam had been... They had gotten there in time.

"Carter didn't tell me much about the...whipping, sir." Just thinking about it made Jack's stomach churn. "All I know is that when another woman was about to be punished for 'allowing' Sam to escape, Sam stopped it. She offered herself up instead." Jack closed his eyes as he was assaulted by unbidden images of Carter's back.

"If I may, General?" Dr. Frasier said softly. Seeing the General nod, Janet continued.

"Captain Carter was struck seven times by a multi-corded leather whip measuring approximately 12" long." There was an uncomfortable silence as Janet's words sank in. Everyone had been aware of what had happened, but this was the first time they could really picture it.

"The blows were administered with obvious force, and caused considerable damage in places." Janet was very, very thankful for her medical training. It kept her grounded when reporting cases like this.

"In two places, I needed to repair tissue damage under Captain Carter's skin, but I anticipate it will heal fully. I also sutured three surface lacerations, but the others will heal on their own, and needed only butterfly bandages. There was also extensive bruising, but only minor blood loss. That is currently being repleted with fluids." She looked at the pale faces of Dr. Jackson, Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c.

"As I mentioned earlier, Captain Carter is currently in a medically-induced sleep, but should wake up on her own early tomorrow morning. At that time, we will work together to manage her pain. Barring complications, Captain Carter should be able to return to light duty in 2-3 weeks, and hopefully active duty in 6-8. I'll be able to give you a more accurate timetable in a few days." Janet folded her hands lightly over the paperwork in front of her. Her part was done.

Seconds ticked by in silence before General Hammond turned back towards O'Neill.

"What happened next, Colonel?" Jack let out a frustrated sigh.

"We 'bought' Carter back for 500..." Jack paused as he remembered. "Er... General? We might need to repay some of that..." He shook his head.

"Anyhow, we bought her back, Carter left the ladies tent and we rode off into the sunset."

"How did Captain Carter appear, son?"

"Carter appeared fine, sir." This is where Jack felt the most frustrated with himself. Obviously Carter was _not_ fine. He just wished he had known it earlier. "She gave absolutely no indication that anything was wrong. We were all so relieved that we had gotten there before the whole "partakence" part, that I didn't push. I figured Carter would tell me if anything untoward had happened and otherwise a full debriefing would wait until we got back home."

"General," Daniel said, interrupting again. "Jack is right. Sam truly appeared fine. She traveled by horse for a couple of hours, had dinner..."

"Although she didn't actually eat that much," Jack added. Hindsight was a bitch.

"And even participated in guard rotation that night," Daniel concluded. "Sam gave no indication _at all_ that anything was wrong."

"Until the next day." Jack remembered that part with crystal clear accuracy.

"But even then, it wasn't until later!" Daniel was clearly agitated.

"Colonel...?" Hammond was looking confused.

"We woke up and were about to head back to the gate when Abu found us. Seemed Turghan was about to stone his daughter to death for attempting to run away." Jack had always had a soft spot for kids and it was unfathomable that someone could even _think_ about doing something like that to his own child.

"We went back to help." Jack was leaving out a bit here, as it was Sam who had insisted, but that wasn't particularly relevant at the moment.

"And then _Sam_ fought him!" Daniel said angrily. "Turghan I mean. She literally fought the guy who beat her!"

"And she won," Jack said in a quiet voice. Hammond was shaking his head.

"But...how? I mean if she was beaten as bad as Dr. Frasier has reported... how would it be possible for her to even _move_ let alone fight?"

"It's that damn drug of theirs, sir," Jack said, drumming his hands on the table with nervous energy. He just wanted this debrief to be over.

"Carter said they smeared the stuff on her after the beating. It numbed the pain for a long time, General."

"Until it didn't," Daniel said softly.

"So Carter beats the crap out of Turghan and under knife point, he agrees to let Nya go, let us go _and_ not wage war on the Shavadai." Jack smiled slightly at the memory. "Carter is a great street fighter, sir."

"So her hand-to-hand combat instructors tell me," Hammond replied.

"After that, we gathered our things, said goodbye to the Shavadai and started walking towards the gate."

"And how did Captain Carter seem then?" Hammond asked.

"Captain Carter was quiet," Teal'c said, sharing his recollection for the first time. "She was watching 'our sixes' as you say, but I could not help but notice that she was unusually quiet."

"And then she began to fall behind," Daniel added.

"So I went to walk with her," Jack finished. "And that's when it became blazingly clear that she was hurting." Jack balled his fists in anger at having taken so long to realize that.

"From there, General," Jack said in a rush, anxious to finish this up and check on Carter again. "We stopped, assessed the situation, treated Carter's back the best we could and then got her the hell home."

Hammond looked at the faces of the people before him and knew there was more that needed to be said. He also knew that now wasn't the time. Nodding slightly at a decision made, Hammond stood up. Immediately, Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Frasier did the same.

"You brought her home SG-1," Hammond said kindly. "Anytime everyone makes it home is a good day."

And with a quiet 'Dismissed' General Hammond gathered his papers and existed the room.

* * *

A/N - I think three days is quite respectable for an update, yes? And it's my longest yet, so I hope it was worth the wait. A couple notes here - First, I do not work in the medical field, so all that (hopefully) intelligent-sounding stuff Frasier is saying came from WebMD other assorted sites. If I got anything wrong, please let me know, and I'll fix. Second, I made up the planet 6-character designation, as we never actually hear it in the episode. Oh! And the line about 'alien ninjas', I wrote that as an homage to Thel's wonderful short story, "Average, Everyday." Check it out. I've got it in my Favorites.

One last thing...in case you haven't actually figured this out yet, I seem to find myself editing the HECK out of posted chapters. I must have replaced that last chapter half a dozen times. Oops. This is the problem with a) needing to post as soon as I can (it's a disease. really!) and b) not having a beta. If I end up writing again beyond this story, I'll find one again. Promise!


	11. Safe and Stoned

Sam awoke to the sound of quiet voices. She cracked her eyes slightly and the world slowly merged into focus, albeit sideways. Sam could make out the blue BDU-covered leg of someone sitting in a chair nearby, and the white clothing of medical personnel with their backs turned away from her in the distance.

Medical personnel.

Sam's eyes suddenly snapped open in memory as she immediately attempted to sit up.

"Whoa," said a familiar voice, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Easy Carter, you don't want to pop any of the Doc's handiwork."

"Colonel?" Sam's voice sounded hoarse and weak to her ears. Her mind raced with questions. In the background, Sam could hear the rapid tapping of heels as someone approached.

"You're back at the SGC," Jack explained, bending down slightly so Sam could see his face. Jack opened his mouth to say more, but a less familiar voice interrupted.

"How are you feeling, Captain?" Janet Frasier asked, as she pulled up a chair to make herself more visible to Sam.

"Crooked," Sam answered, with a small smile. Above Sam's line of sight, Jack gave Janet a smile. If Carter could joke, she must be feeling much better.

"We might be able to do something about that," Janet answered. "But first, are you up to answering a few questions?"

"I'll answer yours, if you answer mine," Sam replied, slurring the word 'answer' slightly.

"Ask away, Carter." Jack was just thrilled that Carter was awake and lucid enough to ask.

Sam licked her cracked lips before beginning and immediately a handful of ice chips in a small plastic cup appeared below her mouth. She opened her mouth thankfully as the ice was dropped in.

"Man, that's nice," Sam said happily, as the ice soothed her parched throat. She closed her eyes for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "Ice is nice." Sam smiled to herself, and then let out a three-note giggle. Jack's eyes crinkled in amusement as he covered his mouth in an attempt to keep his smile hidden.

Ah, Opiates.

Sam seemed to shake herself into focus, and concentrating hard, formulated her question. "What happened after we returned home through the gate?"

Jack frowned slightly at the question. Shouldn't she remember this part?

"It's perfectly normal for some of the details to still be fuzzy, Captain Carter," Janet began, seeing the confusion on both of the officers' faces.

"Sam," Sam interrupted. "I am Sam." She paused and smiled. "Sam I am!" It took all of Jack's self control not to laugh.

"And you're Doctor Frasier!" Sam smiled proudly, as if she had just solved the relativistic momentum paradox.

"That is me," Janet said, struggling not to laugh outright. She was used to dealing with various patient reactions to narcotics, but it had been a while since she had last had such a humorous one! Janet made a note in Sam's chart about her reaction, as well as a secondary notation to check dosage levels.

"I remember walking to Medical..." Sam continued, as she concentrated hard on her memories. She frowned. Everything seemed to be wrapped in cotton; nothing more came to her.

"I'm afraid there was a bit of a mishap when an orderly was helping you with your shirt," Janet began, feeling a fresh wave of guilt at the pain her team had accidentally put Sam through.

Sam continued to look puzzled. "Nope," she declared, smiling brightly. "I don't remember a thing!"

"Thank God for small favors," Jack muttered under his breath.

"I'm afraid you passed out shortly after that," Janet explained, filling in the blanks. There was no need for too much detail here.

"Can I sit up now?" Sam asked, sounding like a petulant child.

"It's not really a good idea..." Janet began.

" _Please_ ," Sam begged, opening her eyes extra wide in hopes of eliciting extra sympathy. In the back of her mind, Sam realized she was behaving more like a child than a U.S. Air Force Captain, but at the moment she didn't really care.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do," Janet said, "But first you need to answer a few questions for me, okay?"

"Okay," Sam said grumpily. She really hated this position, having never been much of a stomach sleeper. It was awkward looking up at people sideways.

"How's the pain?" Janet asked in a no-nonsense voice.

"No pain," Sam replied quickly.

"Oh, come _on,_ Carter!" Jack said incredulously. "Do you have any idea how bad you looked a few hours ago?!" Janet shot Jack a death glare. It was _not_ appropriate to share something like that with a patient. Sam looked guiltily at the Colonel.

"I don't exactly feel like I could run a marathon or anything, Sir," Sam said finally, "but compared to how I felt earlier, I really do feel okay." Sam could see this was not enough detail for either Colonel O'Neill or Dr. Frasier.

"Geeze. Tough crowd," Sam muttered. "On the pain scale, it's maybe a 2. I feel some distant discomfort, but it's foggy." Sam frowned, as if trying to figure something out. "What I feel, is heav'ly meti.." she fumbled over the wording.

"Heavily med-i-tate..." Sam crinkled her eyebrows in frustration.

"Stoned out of your gourd?" Jack suggested helpfully. Sam shot him an evil look.

"Don't knock the drugs, Carter." Jack only felt slightly hypocritical in pushing drugs on Sam. He personally _hated_ that drugged up feeling opiates gave you. Still, Sam had been badly injured. She really needed the heavy stuff right now.

"Could you maybe turn it down a notch or something?" Sam asked.

"I think we could try that," Janet agreed, as she adjusted a dial on Sam's medication dispenser. Having had her most pressing questions answered, Janet shooed Jack out of the way as she pulled the curtain closed. Jack could hear the murmurs of the women and the sounds of an electronic bed being adjusted.

Jacks thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Size 11 shoes slapping across the concrete hallway.

"Jack!"

"Daniel," Jack said patiently, turning towards his teammate. He wasn't surprised to see Teal'c standing stoically behind Daniel. Naturally, the big man wasn't even breathing hard. "This is a medical facility," Jack chided. "Quiet voice, remember?" You'd think a geek who hung out in as many libraries as Daniel had would remember something like that.

"Sorry," Daniel apologized, looking slightly guilty. "Is it true? Is Sam awake?"

"Oh yeah," Jack said with a grin. "Awake and thoroughly stoned." Daniel looked at Jack in confusion, and mouthed a silent 'stoned' as if to confirm what Jack had just said.

"Oh yeah," Jack confirmed, nodding. "With luck, it's on video tape!" Now that Sam appeared to be out of the woods, he was moving on to the embarrassment part of recovery.

"What do stones have to do with Captain Carter?" Teal'c asked seriously. Before Jack could reply, the privacy curtain was pulled back.

"The move definitely removed a bit of her buzz," Janet explained as she motioned for the three men to come forward. "Only a few minutes," Janet ordered. The men of SG-1 nodded in agreement.

Sam was now positioned halfway between sitting and lying down. Her body was curved in a loose 'C' shape, with the majority of her weight resting on her right hip and a plethora of pillows and bedding surrounding her upper torso . A light blanket covered both back and front, making Sam look a little like a giant blonde marshmallow.

With eyes.

Still, Sam was quite grateful to be able to look at her teammates from a more vertical position. She raised her left arm slightly and waved.

"Hi." All three men smiled, with various degrees of relief and happiness.

Daniel was the first to move, immediately grabbing a chair and pulling it close to the bed.

"It's great to see you Sam," Daniel said earnestly. "How are you feeling?"

"Fuzzy," Sam admitted, "but not in any pain." That elicited a huge grin from Daniel.

"Carter here was sharing some of the finer lines from Dr. Seuss a few minutes ago," Jack added with a smile. Sam wanted to duck her head in embarrassment, but now that she was swathed in blankets, there wasn't really much she could do but blush.

"Is this Doctor Seuss a new addition to the SGC?"

"Er..." Daniel started.

"Dr. Seuss is a children's author, 'T," Jack clarified.

"Why would Captain Carter be quoting a children's author?" Teal'c asked with his usual seriousness.

"It goes with the 'stoned' comment I said earlier," Jack explained. He clapped Teal'c on the back. "I'll explain it all later." Teal'c tilted his head slightly to one side in agreement.

"Seriously Carter," Jack said, looking at his Captain critically. "You doing okay?"

Now that her head was slightly clearer, Sam began to really remember what had happened, and the guilt hit her like a 10-ton truck.

Unbidden, tears formed in her eyes.

"Carter, you in any pain?" Jack asked, worriedly. "You've got this nifty button right here..." Sam shook her head.

"Just remembering, sir," Sam said quietly. She looked at Colonel O'Neill apologetically. "I'm really sorry for screwing up the mission."

Jack was flabbergasted. Screwing up the mission?! There was no way Carter should feel any guilt whatsoever for the way he'd completely FUBAR'ed the operation. None.

"Not your fault, Captain," Jack said sharply. He then softened his voice and lightly squeezed Sam's hand. "Sam, this was not your screw up at all. It was mine." He held up a hand as both Daniel and Sam opened their mouths to object.

"It is _neither_ of your faults," Jack said firmly, darting his eyes first to Sam and then Daniel.

"Sam, you were _kidnapped,_ for crying out loud. And that should never have happened, as I never should have allowed you to stay by yourself." He pointed a finger sharply at his chest. "That's on me."

"And you," Jack continued, turning towards Daniel, "Just because you thought it would do no harm to have Carter play dress up is _not_ cause for personal blame."

" _None_." The tone of his voice left little room for argument.

"But..." Sam began.

Jack interrupted with a meaningful finger wave and tongue clicking . "Nope. You Are Not To Blame." Raising his hand, Jack interrupted. "Uh-uh," he stated, waving his finger emphatically. "Nope. You Are Not To Blame ."

Seeing Sam slump in acknowledgement, Jack figured he had gotten his point across. "However," Jack continued. "As soon as you feel better, we _will_ have some words about what happened after you returned to SG-1 and your lack of full disclosure." Sam felt a warm flush spread across her face. This, she definitely deserved.

"Yes, sir." Sam wanted to say more, but was unexpectedly sidetracked by a huge yawn. It did not go unnoticed.

"And on that cheerful note," Janet said, interrupting. "We need to let Captain Carter rest." The SG-1 men shuffled to one side as one of the nurses dimmed the lights.

"We'll be back, Carter," Jack said quietly, as he watched Sam's eyes slowly blink as she began to succumb to the pull of sleep. He could see the way her body was relaxing, and was about to turn away when Sam's eyes snapped open.

"Wait," Sam called quietly. Three sets of eyes turned to look at her.

Sam looked at each one of her teammates, making sure each understood what she needed to say.

"Thank you."

"Anytime Carter," Jack answered for the group. "Anytime."

/End

* * *

A/N - Wow. I just finished my first new story since 2007. Yeah! I hope you all enjoyed it, and I want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read, review or email me. I reconnected with so many old friends! I had forgotten how much I sincerely loved this community, and it definitely does make me want to write more. So here's a question for the group - IF (and it is an if) I can find the time to continue writing, what would you like me to do? New Stargate SG-1 team stories? Continue with the Assistant series? Other..? I am open to suggestions!

A big thank you to Flatkatsi (go on, look up her awesome stories) for providing some beta love to this (and the last) chapter.

Lastly, here's a crazy coincidence worth sharing. Apparently, I just wrote the optimum story length for myself. The average of all my stories (according to FF) is 28,533 words. This one? (Before the notes) was 28,450. Crazy, right?


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